


Alone Together

by RageSloth



Series: The Omega Virus [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alpha Jesus, Alpha Paul Rovia, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anxious Daryl, Breeding, Embarrassed Daryl Dixon, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Not A/B/O universe, Omega Daryl Dixon, Omega Virus, Sexual Assault, Smut, reference to MPreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-11-30 18:54:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11469615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RageSloth/pseuds/RageSloth
Summary: Daryl and Jesus go through the struggle of learning what it means to be Omega and Alpha after getting a laboratory-made alpha/omega virus.





	1. Chapter 1

"Daryl- The hell is that? Is that a bite?" The edge of fear in Rick's voice put Daryl on edge and he froze. He had just come in from hunting, a line of squirrels and a raccoon hanging over his shoulder. He had completely forgotten about the bite Paul had given him during his heat a few days ago. He turned bright red, trying to think up some sort of scenario that didn't involve Paul biting him while fucking him senseless. His mind came up with literally nothing. 

"It's not." He grumbled, not turning to look at Rick. He could tell Rick was just on the edge of hysteria. Hell, if he saw one on Rick he'd be the same. The man was his brother. 

"It sure as hell LOOKS like it is! Daryl-" Rick reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Daryl swung around, growling. 

"It's human, alrigh'?!" He said, baring his teeth. Rick blinked at him in utter bewilderment. 

"You're sayin'... you were bit... by a live person...?" He asked, squinting with his hands on his hips. Daryl thought he was literally going to keel over from the embarrassment, anxiously chewing on the calluses on his finger. 

"Y-yeah-" Both men were interrupted suddenly and yelled, jumped back as something fell from the tree just above their heads in a blur and landed between them. Paul fucking Rovia, standing like it wasn't absolutely absurd that he just flipped himself out of a tree that Daryl and Rick had not even seen him in. 

"It's alright, Rick." He said, standing in a white shirt that made him look all-too-saintly and some low-slung cargo pants. 

"Goddamnit, Rovia!" Daryl growled out, having dropped his squirrels. Paul just grinned wide. 

"Squirrel for dinner, tonight, Love?" He asked in a purr. Daryl narrowed his eyes and growled before looking away. 

"Yeah...fuckin' ninja..." He muttered. Rick was staring in confusion at them both. 

"Tell me, exactly, how this is alright?" Rick asked, beginning to grow impatient. 

"Because I did it." Paul said, chewing on his lip a little. Rick just looked more confused. 

"Did what?" Paul just grinned.

"I bit him." Rick just stared at him, like his brain was trying to compute. Meanwhile Daryl seemed to be slowly backing away. 

"Don't you go anywhere, Daryl!" Rick yelled, pointing at him. Daryl froze, caught in the act, and grumbled. Rick looked back at Jesus. "Why...?" He asked, eyebrow raised. 

"Because... It felt right at the moment and Daryl likes it rough. He's a woodsman. Used to wild and dangerous-" Daryl was there in a second, slamming the flat of his hand into the back of Jesus's head, not hard, but hard enough to leave the younger man rubbing at it. "Ow..." 

Daryl fidgeted, looking away. He didn't think he had ever been more uncomfortable in his life. 

"Look, Rick, Daryl and I are in a relationship...Honestly, it was impractical to do that sort of thing but, what can I say, I'm a passionate man." Paul said, shrugging. Rick's eyes widened and he looked at Daryl for confirmation, who was currently staring at the ground as he lit a cigarette. Daryl's eyes flickered over to Rick for a second before just nodding once. Slowly, Rick's face broke out into a large grin. 

"Daryl..." Rick said, unable to contain his grin. Finally, somebody for Daryl to depend on. Rick didn't have to constantly be worrying about him. Daryl looked up at Rick, face red as he let out a breath of smoke. 

"Uhm..." Daryl blinked a few times and looked down again. 

"Alright. You two love-birds get going. I'll check in with you later." Rick said, smirking. As he passed he grabbed Daryl's shoulder and squeezed. 

"Well, That went alright, I think." Paul said with a smile. Daryl glared. 

"What the hell was that?! You climbing trees now? Shit's not crazy enough? You gotta go poppin' outa trees?" Daryl asked, pointing at the tree in irritation. Paul snorted before moving forward, getting in Daryl's face. Daryl glared, face inches from Paul's grinning one. 

"Haven't seen you in a day... I was getting worried. You running away from me?" Paul asked, reaching up before pulling Daryl down in a kiss. Daryl stiffened, thinking of the fact they were right in the middle of the street in Alexandria, but after a moment he forgot about that. Something in him lit up at the kiss. He had gone out, to think. He came back realizing he didn't like being so far from Paul. Begrudgingly, he came home. When he pulled back he had just the slightest smile on his face that made Paul's that much bigger. 

"Something about you being covered in dirt and dead squirrels has me really turned on..." Paul said with a raised eyebrow. Daryl scoffed, turning. 

"Alright, ninja boy. Calm down." He said in that low gravelly voice of his. "Hips just stopped aching..." He muttered, subconsciously rubbing his lower back. They headed off down the street when Paul grabbed his hand and started leading Daryl off. Daryl blinked, looking around him nervously as he let Paul tug him off in the direction of the woods that were still within the border walls. He quite suddenly found himself against a tree with his mate pulling down his jeans. He grabbed at the waist band with one hand though his pants were already half-way down his thighs. 

"Paul-" He started, but Paul reached up and put a finger to his lips. 

"Shhh...." He hushed, kneeling as he tugged the rest of Daryl's pants and boxers down, grabbing at his hips before abruptly taking Daryl's cock in his mouth. Daryl gasped, his head arching back, and grabbed onto Paul's head for support. His cock instantly hardened as Paul ran his tongue up his length. 

"Fuck- Paul- Tara's gonna come back here or somethin'-" He was cut off by his own deep groan as Paul bobbed his head, taking the older man's cock into his throat over and over again. 

"We're fine..." Paul murmured when he pulled away for a moment only to suck a mark onto Daryl's inner thigh. Daryl groaned and just let the younger man take over. "Missed you... You have to leave without telling me?" Paul murmured, slurping one of his balls into his mouth. Daryl yelled and had to slap a hand over his own mouth to keep quiet. He could feel Paul's hands kneading his ass as he sucked and kissed and slurped at any available skin then took his cock back deep into his mouth again. Daryl groaned and he bucked a little but the smaller man was surprisingly strong and held him quite still against the tree. Paul went agonizingly slow, drawing out the pleasure until Daryl was practically whimpering before he finally went faster. The sloppy sucking noises seemed way too loud for Daryl's ears, thinking someone might hear them but before he could protest he felt his release coming and stifled a cry as he came, his come spurting into Paul's mouth. Paul swallowed diligently before licking his lips and standing up, pulling Daryl's pants up with him before tucking him in, zipping him up and buckling his belt with a satisfied smile on his face, all the while Daryl staring at him dazed and bewildered. 

"You didn't answer me." Paul said, looking up into Daryl's deep blue eyes. 

"How was I supposed to answer?" Daryl asked with narrowed eyes. Paul smirked then raised a brow. Daryl paused for a second. "I... I needed teh think..." He murmured. 

"And?" Paul asked expectantly. 

"And... I got squirrels for dinner." Daryl said, shrugging and grabbing up the discarded pile of them before starting off, Paul following with a knowing grin. 

When they entered the house Jesus stayed close, watching Daryl as he dropped the rodent carcasses on their clean countertop and untying them from the line. After a moment as Daryl prepared to start skinning, the older man looked up, narrowing his eyes at Paul. 

"What?" He growled. He could just tell... Paul wanted to say something. And it was something he wasn't going to like. Paul slowly smiled like he was guilty. 

"So... I think... now that we aren't... fucking like monkeys... that we should get a check-up... To make sure everything's fine since we don't completely know what we were exposed to... Maybe get an ultrasound to make sure all the new organs aren't making us sick or something-" Daryl slammed his knife down on the counter, glaring. 

"'m not lettin' Denise know this happened.... or look at- at ma' insides."Daryl growled at him. Jesus winced before crossing his arms over his chest and giving Daryl a serious look. He was not about to let something that could be avoided somehow kill his mate. 

"Not Denise. Doctor Carson. You don't really know him so it'll be easier for you. Plus I really doubt Denise has an ultrasound machine. I'm getting checked out too. I'll be there the whole time. You won't be alone." Jesus said gently. Daryl shook his head. 

"I ain't doin' it. We're fine." Daryl growled before angrily setting about disemboweling his squirrels. Jesus made a face. 

"What if he can cure us?" Jesus asked. He knew the doctor couldn't but if it could get Daryl to go he would imply it. Daryl looked up and narrowed his eyes. 

"How would he do that? It's already in there." Daryl said suspiciously. Jesus shrugged. 

"I don't know. I'm not a doctor but what if he knew how to suppress stuff with like, hormone pills or something?" Jesus wasn't quite sure about that but it was possible. Daryl gnawed on his lip for a moment, seriously considering it. Eventually the hunter sighed. 

"Alrigh'." He muttered, looking down at his work with a frown. Jesus smiled. 

"Thank you, Daryl. Let's get going tomorrow morning? I'll start packing. We can stay in my room while we're there." Daryl's eyes widened. Somehow, the implications of him being in Jesus's room with him in a place where other people lived was too much. Obviously, people would know they were in there together. He knew it was stupid and juvenile to be that self-conscious about it but his cheeks were already heating up at the thought. And were they going to have sex again? In his room? In Paul's room? They only fucked during his heat... Was it different outside of heat? Daryl's head was running around all the thoughts and concerns like a horse with a rattlesnake tied to its tail. After a minute of thinking he heard Paul again. 

"Daryl? Daryl!" Paul called out, looking concerned. Daryl blinked at him before grimacing. 

"Was just thinkin'..." He muttered, looking down. Paul's eyebrows furrowed. He moved around the island counter and behind Daryl, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing his cheek against his back. 

"Daryl... you're fine with this, aren't you? With us? I don't want to force you into this... I never wanted to force you into this..." Daryl's heart fluttered in his chest. He had never had anyone care this much or give him so much affection and he felt like he was on overload and might burst. 

"I... It's fine..." Daryl murmured. Paul seemed to understand and squeezed Daryl around the waist tightly. He lifted his head to sniff at Daryl's neck. He smelled absolutely heavenly. Every time he smelled Daryl he wanted him... badly. When he had scented him on the wind coming in he had immediately jumped into a tree to get a good look-out for when he arrived. It just so happened that Rick and him had stopped under that same tree. Jesus sighed and ran the flat of his tongue over his scent gland in a long swipe, making Daryl shiver, then nuzzled against him warmly before pulling away. 

"You work on dinner, I'll pack. Sound good?" Paul asked with a smile. Daryl grunted in response.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Daryl and Jesus set out on the road to Hilltop. Thankfully, they had a car and it took little time. Jesus drove and the whole time Daryl was pouting. He did not like the idea of someone prodding at him. In his life he had gone to the doctor for very few things, most of them involving severe injuries that wouldn't close up with a little help from some duct tape. 

They arrived at Hilltop and Jesus immediately brought them to Doctor Carson's office. The man was sitting at a desk reviewing some books when they came in. He looked up and gave them the usual close-mouthed smile before his eyes narrowed-in on the bite on Daryl's neck. 

"Interesting to see you two in here. What can I help you with?" He asked tactfully. Daryl fidgeted, looking at the ground while Jesus gave him an odd uneasy smile. 

"Interesting is probably the correct word. Dr. Carson. Daryl and I came across a laboratory on our run about a week ago and we were exposed to some chemicals... We need you to check us out. See if there's anything you can do for us?" Jesus asked. Dr. Carson raised an eyebrow and gestured for them to sit. Jesus hopped on the stool while Daryl tried to ignore life itself, shuffling around the room, not looking at anything in particular but especially not Dr. Carson. 

"What kind of chemicals are we talking about here?" Asked the doctor. Jesus pulled out the packet of information he had on the omega virus and handed it to him. 

" The laboratory was working on some pretty crazy stuff; a cure for the walker virus... as well as a way to promote the expansion of the human population. They found a way to do one and not the other... Daryl started getting pain in his stomach and passed out... He threw up a few times... My neck hurt a little... His did too. Then we realized we had acquired a heightened sense of smell and... by my guess, some sort of pheromones? Uh, next thing we knew, Daryl had a high fever and was... well, he was exhibiting all the symptoms it explains in the documents I was able to find that said he was going into heat. I have symptoms that coincide with what they explained were alpha characteristics including... growth... and a increased awareness of omega distress." Jesus explained, trying to be as serious as possible. Doctor Carson, as expected, looked at them like they were insane. Daryl stopped pacing and chewing on his thumb and growled. 

"You think we're makin' this up? Hell, you think I'd come in here to crack a fucked-up joke? I got shit to do, Doc! Paul fuckin' bit me while we was at it. Like some sorta claimin' bite and everybody thinks I got walker-chomped! If you ain't gonna help us then-" Doctor Carson held up a hand and Daryl stopped, glaring. 

"Alright, Daryl. Let me read over this. I highly doubt you went to the trouble of finding a working computer to type this up..." Dr. Carson reassured him. Daryl huffed and turned around before lighting a cigarette, taking a huff in. "Daryl, please put that out..." The doctor pleaded after a moment. Daryl huffed again and took one more drag before putting it out on the heal of his boot then pocketed it for later. He took another few rounds of the room before Dr. Carson got the gist of what was said in the documents before putting the packet down. 

"This is... really remarkable if it is indeed what happened to you. I'll need to run some tests and do an ultrasound." Dr. Carson informed them and Jesus nodded. Dr. Carson took both their blood-pressures and temperatures, both normal, then he looked at Daryl. "I'm most concerned about you. The symptoms described are more severe than Paul's. Can I have you please take off your shirt and lay on the table?" Daryl stared at him for a moment, more than anything just reluctant to take off his shirt. He chewed on his thumb some more before moving over to the table, then stopped, looking over at Jesus in concern. Jesus moved over to him and touched his arm. 

"It's alright... I'm here. You think I'll let anything happen to you?" Jesus asked with a raised brow. Daryl sighed, looking into Paul's light green eyes and just shook his head. He took off his vest and his shirt, being careful to keep his back to the wall away from the doctor as he moved to lay on the table. Once he was on Dr. Carson came forward. 

"I'm just going to feel your neck here..." He explained, reaching forward to run his fingers over the sides and back of his neck, careful not to put too much pressure on the bite, feeling the slight bumps just under the skin where the new scent glands were. "Hmm..." He said as he inspected some more, a furrow in his brow increasing as he continued. "Your bite here looks almost healed so I won't be administering any antiseptic or antibiotics. That's a little strange that it would be healing so fast but this situation is strange, so... I'll move on to checking your organs. Tell me if anything hurts." He said. Daryl was having a hard time with anyone touching him besides Jesus. It had been a long time since anybody had touched his bare skin besides his new mate. He suddenly felt Paul's hand slip into his own and hold it tight and he seemed to relax just a little. Dr. Carson began running his hands over Daryl's belly, administering pressure to get deep enough to feel each lump inside and determining the organ as fine before moving to the next one. He got to the lower belly and the furrow in his eyebrows started to occur again, feeling both sides and the middle a few times over. Daryl had his eyes shut, head turned away and Jesus was stroking his hair trying to calm him. 

"There's definitely some abnormalities but I can't be sure until we do an ultrasound..." Dr. Carson said as he stepped back and moved off to the other room. Daryl's eyes popped open and he quickly maneuvered himself up with his back to the wall before grabbing his shirt from Jesus and throwing it on. Jesus realized Daryl was panting, his breaths too quick, his eyes flicking around the room. He was having some sort of anxiety attack. It was obvious the man had anxiety problems but he hadn't realized how frequent it was. It made him want to protect him even more. He reached out, putting a hand on the back of his neck. Somehow, he knew the gesture helped, like the back of his neck was a calming acupuncture point or something. Daryl was shaking but he seemed to un-tense a little when Paul touched his neck, massaging a little. Paul leaned-in to whisper in his ear. 

"It's alright... So far our vitals are good. That's good. There's nothing to worry about and Carson is a doctor... he is non-judgmental. It's just part of being a doctor. He still follows doctor-patient confidentiality." Paul ran his hand up and down Daryl's back, feeling the slight ridges of his scars. Daryl flinched at first but then stilled, shivering a little. Paul stroked his hair, murmuring in his ear some more. 

"You are strong... I know that... This isn't your thing but you can handle it." Daryl nodded a little before chewing at his thumb again. Dr. Carson came back with a bunch of equipment on a cart. Daryl immediately started to hyperventilate again. He didn't like the idea of those machines, the equipment, needles, any of this stuff, really. 

"Jesus, if you can take your shirt off, I want to make sure everything is in order with you." Dr. Carson said, leaving the equipment to the side. Daryl moved away from the table and Jesus hopped up, stripping out of his shirt without a thought. He laid back on the table and Dr. Carson came over again, doing the same sort of examination he had done to Daryl. As soon as his fingers touched Paul Daryl felt a surge of possessiveness. He didn't like that someone else was touching his mate. He didn't even realize he had started growling until both men looked over. Daryl stopped when he realized it and looked down, turning away. Paul stifled a smile. 

"Well, you have what I would imagine due to the documents are scent glands in your neck but you have no organ changes like I suspect with Daryl. You can put your shirt back on. Daryl, I'm going to do an ultrasound on you. If you can take your shirt back off and lay on the table again, please." Dr. Carson said, looking at Daryl expectantly as Jesus hopped back off the table. Daryl stood with his arms crossed over his chest, frozen. "Daryl?" Daryl just chewed on his lip. 

"Daryl, It's alright... Please, can you just do this for me?" Paul asked. Daryl looked up at Paul through his bangs. After a few moments he growled. 

"Fine." Daryl took his shirt back off and laid back down on the table, gnawing on his lip like it was the only thing anchoring him. Paul came over and grabbed his hand which Daryl immediately latched onto, holding it tightly. Dr. Carson was busy messing with the equipment. 

"We're lucky to have the power for these machines, let alone the machines themselves... I wouldn't be using them unless they were absolutely necessary." He explained, looking over at Daryl. Daryl nodded curtly, staring up at the ceiling. After a moment Dr. Carson came back over with a tube of gel and the ultrasound wand. He squeezed some gel on Daryl's stomach, his belly twitching a little, before pressing the wand down onto it and moving it slowly around in circles as he watched the monitor. Daryl was nearly crushing Paul's hand, his jaw clenched as he looked up at the ceiling pretending this all wasn't happening. His chest was heaving a little much and Paul tried stroking his neck again. 

Daryl felt ridiculous. He was exposed and felt helpless, two things he did not like, at all. The feeling of the ultrasound felt strange and warm, almost static-y. It pressed hard into his lower belly and the sensation felt odd, different than if he had had something pressing there before, he imagined because of the new organs. It was too much to think about and he tried to remember anything other than this to put his mind on. It wasn't really working. 

Dr. Carson's brow was furrowed deeply, looking interested and perplexed. He ran the wand over Daryl's belly several times before carefully pushing his jeans down a little further making Daryl jump a slightly. 

"Sorry, Daryl. I just need to make sure." Dr. Carson apologized, running the wand even lower. Daryl was shaking and Paul was concerned, his own brow furrowing. He didn't like that his mate was so upset. 

After a few minutes Dr. Carson pulled the wand away and gave Daryl a towel to wipe the gel off. Daryl quickly wiped it off before throwing his shirt and vest back on and moving off of the table like it had personally offended him. 

Dr. Carson turned off the machines and set about putting them back in order as he thought. 

"It's pretty conclusive that you two do indeed have the symptoms described. Your bodies have fully acclimated. Daryl, I found ovaries and a uterus right where they would be normally in a female human body with the exception of the exit. I would say that given normal human cycles you would have some sort of heat every month and you can track it as such so that you don't go out on runs during it. You will have to figure out the cycle yourself over the next couple of months so you must be careful but I would assume you have the next eighteen days without incident." Dr. Carson Explained. Daryl's eyes bugged out of his head and he swallowed. 

"You mean after eighteen days I can't go out 'cause... 'cause I'll be... distressed?" Daryl said, Jesus swearing he saw his eye twitching like he was glitching out. It just didn't compute to the man. He had always been free to do what he liked. 

"Well, Daryl, I would highly recommend it. I'm sure you don't want to be caught out hunting and finding yourself in heat, unable to return home." Dr. Carson said with a raised eyebrow. Daryl practically snarled and spun around, pacing around the room. Dr. Carson sighed. "I would like to do some blood tests to see if this is a communicable disease and to make sure Daryl isn't pregnant. I would also like to look over the documents more thoroughly if you don't mind." Dr. Carson said. Paul nodded. 

Daryl looked pale. Hearing Dr. Carson say he wanted to make sure he wasn't pregnant seemed proof enough to him. It was as if this was the last piece of evidence and he had suspended belief until then. Now, it was clear he was altered and would never be the same again. When Dr. Carson took blood samples he didn't even seem to register it, just did as he was told until the doctor had the specimens he needed. He looked far away and lost. 

Paul was worried. He thanked Dr. Carson, telling him they'll be back tomorrow as requested then took Daryl's hand, leading him out. He brought Daryl into the main house and up the stairs to his room before closing and locking the door. Daryl just stood, eyes hooded, jaw clenched, looking either ready to bolt or pass out. Paul moved forward before reaching up and cupping Daryl's cheeks. 

"You did good, baby... Really good. Thank you for doing that. Now I know we're pretty much fine and we can move on. Maybe after he looks over our blood samples he'll have a solution." Paul said. Daryl looked away, chewing on his lip. He pulled Paul's hands away from him and moved away. 

"I can't handle this shit... too fuckin' embarrassin'." Daryl grumbled, running a hand through his hair. Paul made a pained face. 

"Daryl, It's not embarrassing. It's a medical condition." Paul tried to reassure him. Daryl growled and turned, glaring.

"You don't know what it's like! You're not omegan! You didn't feel all fucked-up inside and not knowin' your own name 'cause you needed teh... teh breed! You didn't get somebody inside you. You got to fuck me. You basically got a deal outta this while I got screwed over!" Daryl snarled at him. For a moment, Jesus was upset that Daryl was angry at him, but after a moment he remembered that Daryl was just scared and his logic and understanding overrode that. 

"Daryl, I know you're not used to being vulnerable... and we haven't known each other long... but I care about you... deeply. You must know that. I didn't mean for you to get the short end of the deal... If I could switch it around I would. You don't need any more things to worry about. I know... I know the fucking was harsh and... a little different... but I know what it's like to be with someone. I've been with quite a few people before everything happened." Jesus said, noticing Daryl's eyes narrowing when he said the last part. He sighed. "This is all really new for you and abrupt. I get it. This world right now is a lot to handle but I know you always come out stronger for it. One thing is, now that we're together, you don't have to deal with it alone. Daryl, I never want you to have to shoulder your burdens alone. Let me help you." Paul pleaded. Daryl looked at him, chewing on his thumb a little. 

"Why...?" He nearly whispered. Paul furrowed his brows. 

"Why what?" He asked. Daryl looked away, facing the wall. 

"Why do you want to help me? Why do you want to be with me besides, I dunno, fucking?" Daryl asked, shoulders hunched in. 

"Because you're a good man, Daryl. You care about everyone so deeply that sometimes you shut them out. Not to mention you're super hot and adorable." Paul said with a smile. Daryl blushed. He could tell by the redness at the tips of his ears. Daryl didn't say anything. He just moved over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, leaning his arms on his knees and looking down at his hands, head bowed in thought. 

"Daryl... I want to take care of you... touch you... without rushing or any craziness... I'm not going to push it if you don't want to... I want you to do it because you want to. Can I?" Paul asked, moving forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. Daryl slowly looked up, chewing on the inside of his lip. His eyes were a deep blue and pained. 

"Okay." He murmured. Paul smiled softly at him before reaching out and stroking his hair back behind his ear. Daryl was shaking again, like this was the first time they were touching all over again. Paul knew this would be different. Daryl wasn't out of his mind with need like he had been during his heat. 

"Shh... It's okay..." Paul murmured, leaning down to give him a soft kiss. Daryl tentatively kissed back, his lips warm and a little chapped against Paul's own. Paul deepened the kiss experimentally, letting Daryl react, the other man making a soft noise before handling it much the same. Paul's tongue slid out to lick experimentally at Daryl's lips and the hunter let the other man lick into his mouth, flirtatiously but with an underlying passion. Daryl made another noise again and Paul thought he was about ready to burst with joy at the small noises of pleasure the other man was making. They were held back and muffled but they were not the over-the-top in-need noises Daryl was making during heat. This was the Daryl that hid himself inside but was slowly opening up to him. 

Daryl's heart was beating fast. Unlike before, he had to think about what he was doing. He was scared. He had never been this way with anyone. He had kissed but it had been so long ago, when he was just a teenager. He had felt back then much the same as he did now. It had been a boy at the campsite he and Merle had been staying at to go fishing. He remembered the secret, stumbling, uneasy kisses and how tense he had been, but how good it had felt. 

Daryl pulled back from kissing with Paul, back in the present and still blushing about the kiss from so long ago. Paul laughed a little before stroking his hair back from his face. 

"You don't have to be so embarrassed, Daryl. It's just us." Paul said. "You're so damn cute, I don't know what to do with you sometimes. Feels kind of skanky for me to be trying to get in your pants..." Daryl made a face, furrowing his brows. 

"I'ma grown man... 'm not cute... I can handle fucking." Daryl said as if more to himself than anyone. Paul gave him a knowing smile and stroked his cheek. He leaned down and started inching Daryl's shirt up his stomach, Daryl chewing on his lip nervously in the process. Eventually he lifted his arms to let Paul take it off, though. Paul sucked in a breath at the sight and ran his fingertips down his chest, over his nipples, and down his stomach, feather-light, and Daryl shivered. 

"You... you seen me naked before..." Daryl muttered at the expression on Paul's face. Paul smiled. 

"Yeah... but this time you're doing it because you want to." He said. "I wasn't much better than you in terms of holding back before... I felt like I was going crazy. I couldn't think. This time I can enjoy it." Daryl blinked, licking his lips before leaning forward to kiss him again. Paul froze for a moment, surprised that Daryl had made the move, before relaxing into it, kissing him deep. He groaned against Daryl's mouth, running his fingers down from his shoulders again before stroking a thumb over Daryl's nipple. Daryl shivered, leaning into the touch and Paul started to push him back on the bed. At first Daryl stiffened but once he realized he was safe and they were just touching he relaxed back, Jesus moving on top of him. His breathing had begun to hasten and Jesus pulled back, his eyes lidded and sexy, a pale green. 

Daryl reached up to tentatively pull Paul's shirt up and Paul grabbed it, pulling it the rest of the way up. Daryl had much the same reaction as Paul had, staring at him. This time he could pay more attention. He was lean but muscled nicely and Daryl couldn't have said what his type was before but he could say Paul was definitely it now. His eyes ran over Paul's body and noticed multiple circular scars. Scars that he had himself that were very similar. He knew what a cigarette burn looked like. Paul had a few on his shoulder and on his stomach; old scars. He reached out to touch one before pulling back. 

"Sorry..." He mumbled, looking away. Paul grabbed his hand suddenly and pulled his fingers back to the scars on his shoulder, letting him stroke them. Daryl looked back to him, surprised. He wasn't so easy about his own scars. 

"You can touch them, Daryl." He said softly. Daryl furrowed his brows. It turned his gut to think someone had hurt the younger man.

"Who did it?" Daryl asked, voice rough with hatred for the culprit and concern for Jesus. Jesus looked far away for a moment before looking down at Daryl, a small sad smile on his lips. 

"I grew up in a group home... some of the older boys. I didn't have a lot of friends there and I seemed to be everyone's favorite victim. Kinda why I started learning martial arts." Daryl's eyebrows furrowed and he stroked over the scars with his thumb. They were slightly raised and paler than the rest of his skin. Paul wrapped a hand around his arm, looking down at the similar scars on Daryl. 

"And these?" Paul asked. Daryl looked away, jaw clenching. 

"Ma dad..." Daryl murmured. Paul nodded. 

"Same as your back?" Daryl nodded in response. Paul looked sad for a moment, leaning down to kiss at Daryl's cheek, run his hands down over his biceps. His kisses were soft and reached Daryl to his core. "I knew you and I were similar... We both never belonged. Now... we can belong to each other." Paul said, his smile more bright now as he pulled back just to look into Daryl's blue eyes. Daryl moved his hands up to clutch onto Paul's back before pulling him in close. And then they were kissing, desperately, mouths open, hands touching all over. They went like that for a long time until Daryl pulled his legs up, Paul slipping between them, their bodies grinding against each other. Daryl groaned out and Paul's hand went down between them and between Daryl's legs, rubbing him through his jeans. Daryl gasped, pulling back and arching his head back. 

"Baby, I want to make you mine." Paul murmured. Daryl groaned again as Paul rubbed him. 

"You already did." Daryl groaned, eyes closed. Paul smirked. 

"I wanna do it all over again. I want you to trust me, come to me when you need somebody... Come to me when you need this." Paul said, squeezing his cock through his pants. Daryl made a little cry before covering his mouth with his hand. The younger man moved to pry it away, leaning back down to capture his lips again. Daryl writhed against him and Paul started pulling at the older hunter's pants, tugging them down with his boxers before laughing when he realized Daryl was still wearing his boots. Paul moved off of him, Daryl laying naked except for the pants around his legs and Paul tugged his shoes off, then his pants. He smiled coyly at him. 

"Move up on the bed." He said. Daryl chewed on his lip for a moment before doing as he was told, scooting up to lay against the pillows. Paul moved on after him before kissing down over his chest. The hair on his chest and stomach was mostly blond and fine and Paul nuzzled his face against it for a moment before kissing down his belly, feeling how hard Daryl was panting underneath him. He could smell him, his slick. The omega's pheromones were permeating the room and he could smell the slick running down from his hole. Paul licked his lips. He wanted to taste it. 

"Roll over." He said to Daryl, voice husky. Daryl blinked at him and Paul put a few pillows down. "Hips on these." Daryl looked weary so Paul leaned forward, kissing him again.

"What're you gonna do...?" The hunter murmured. 

"Well, I was going to finger you... make you come on my hand..." Paul said with a wide grin. Daryl's cheeks heated up and he slowly rolled onto his belly, propping his hips up on the pillows. His cheek rested on another pillow, looking behind him at Paul with suspicious narrowed eyes. Paul laughed a little. "You don't have to be so skeptical. I won't do anything you don't like." He said and leaned over to kiss over the small of his back. Daryl's ass was rounded with muscle. Not from training, just from pure exorcize from a rough life like the rest of him. Paul couldn't help but run his tongue over his right ass cheek making the hunter jump a little. His hands slid up his thighs, pulling them apart to expose his hole and seeing the foreign but very welcome addition of slick dripping from his hole, smeared over his thighs. Daryl's face was now shoved into the pillow, too embarrassed to look so Paul leaned down and ran the flat of his tongue over his tight puckered muscle. Daryl yelped, pulling up on his elbows and looked back at him, eyes wide. Paul bit his lip, trying not to smile so wide. He had gotten his taste and he wanted more. 

"The f-f-fuck?" Daryl managed to spit out. 

"I wanted to taste you. Open your legs wider." Paul said, running his hands over his thighs and ass soothingly. Daryl swallowed and opened his legs more despite his concern before dropping back down to rest his cheek on the pillow, looking over his shoulder wearily. Paul smiled and leaned back down to lick over his hole again, running the tip around the rim. Daryl shivered, clenching up a little and feeling more slick slide down his inner thigh. Paul licked that up too, groaning so that Daryl felt the vibration of his voice through his lips. He mouthed at Daryl's opening and sucked, making Daryl gasp before letting out a little cry. Daryl was trying to think of anything to say but his mind was a blank slate only there to take pleasure. He groaned into the pillow, grabbing at the sides of it for any sort of anchor. When Paul pressed his tongue inside him he let out a somewhat undignified yelp before tearing away and flipping back over. 

Daryl was panting hard, a few beads of sweat dripping down his skin. He looked close to running so Paul put up a hand as if trying to keep a small frightened animal from fleeing. 

"It's alright... if you want I won't do it... or if you want you can lay on your back and... you can watch me." Paul said slyly. He knew Daryl liked it. It was just a matter of if he would let himself like it. The hunter was propped up on his elbows, unaware how displayed he was with his legs wide open already looking debauched. He chewed on his lip nervously, looking down at Paul's chest instead of into his eyes. 

"I- I dunno..." Daryl managed to mutter. Jesus leaned forward, stroking a hand up his leg.

"Did you like it...?" He asked, eyes running over him. Daryl swallowed for a moment then eventually nodded. The younger man smiled a little. "Can I continue?" He asked. Daryl took another moment before slowly nodding. That's when Jesus moved forward between his legs, pushing Daryl's knees up with him, then he leaned down, all the while aware of the hunter watching him. He flicked out an experimental lick to Daryl's hole again, feeling the ring of muscle tense up for a moment. He did it again, and again, relishing in the fact that he had Daryl all folded up to accommodate him so he could eat his ass. God he was enjoying this. The older man was much more flexible than he looked. He pressed his lips to the orifice and pressed his tongue back inside, feeling the other man tense and arch, breathing heavy. He groaned a little into it, seeing Daryl bring his hands up and press his palms to his eyes, the pleasure too much to handle. He was watching Daryl come undone. He sucked as he rolled his tongue inside, flicking in and out, Daryl's body slowly un-tensing around him, the hunter beginning to make small noises of pleasure he couldn't contain. 

Daryl felt like he was being flayed open with pleasure, each lick against him like a spike of adrenaline and intense need inside him. He just wanted more and more and he wasn't sure if he liked that he wanted that or not. He squirmed beneath Paul when he felt a fingertip press inside, his entrance so wet with slick it slid inside easily. He cried out and then again as Paul curled his digit up against a spot that made him tremble, like it was an automatic switch, back arching, heels digging into the other man's back. 

He couldn't quite see Paul's mouth as the man licked along the edge of his hole while he fingered him but his eyes were watching Daryl and twinkling with mischief, obviously smiling. Daryl had to look away. It was too much. He fisted the sheets in his hands, yelling, and had to shove a pillow over his face when he began to get much too loud for his liking in a house that had other residents. He felt another finger press inside him and he groaned headily, eyes squeezed shut at the delicious stretch of it, the curl of Paul's fingers as he worked them in and out of him. 

Paul made a face when Daryl grabbed the pillow and decided to punish him just a little for it. He pressed another finger inside his tight soaking-wet hole, thrusting repeatedly, amazed when Daryl began rolling his hips into the thrusts, needing it, aching for it. He grabbed a hold of the pillow and yanked it away from the hunter, smiling at seeing his tracker undone and gasping in front of him. Daryl growled when the pillow was taken away but then pulled Jesus in for a rough kiss, groaning into it as the other continued his ministrations. 

"Paul" He groaned out as they pulled away, eyes lidded with need. Paul saw what he wanted. He didn't need Daryl to ask. He pulled his fingers out of him and brought them to his lips to suck the slick off, delighting in the way Daryl stared, cheeks burning red. He pulled his fingers out of his mouth with a "pop" and moved closer between Daryl's legs. 

"I got you, Baby." He purred to him, cock pressed against his entrance. Daryl panted and rolled his hips, trying to get the head in himself. It made Paul groan and he couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned forward, taking hold of each of Daryl's wrists and pressing inside. Daryl writhed beneath him, arching and crying, no longer worrying about restricting himself. Paul cried out himself when he slid all the way in, like Daryl was made for him, his insides wrapping around him tight and hot and so wet. Daryl seemed like he could hardly catch his breath, fists clenching and unclenching, not fighting the pinned position Paul had over him. The younger man was sure the other could throw him off easily if he wanted. He began pistoning his hips slowly, each thrust in causing his mate to shudder and cry. Paul saw a tear leak out of Daryl's eye and kissed it, sliding back in again with the help of Daryl's legs locked tight around his waist. 

Daryl wanted him badly even if he couldn't quite admit it all the time, his body demanding him to keep going. Each time Paul pulled back Daryl pulled him forward again, heels dug into his haunches. After only a few more thrusts Paul watched his hunter lose it, crying out, back arching, eyes shut tight as he came on his cock, clenching around him tight. It took only a few moments of that for Paul to come too, panting as he spilled his seed inside his mate, watching as Daryl enjoyed that too, rocking his hips a little as he finished up. 

Daryl felt Paul's seed spilling inside him, warm and filling him deep. He groaned. He felt full and satisfied. Paul fell down on top of him, face pressed in against his neck, still holding his wrists. Daryl felt contented but entirely too sleepy to move. He let Paul eventually wrap his arms around him and cling to him like a monkey as he fell into an easy sleep. 

-

They both woke to a bunch of obnoxious hurried knocking on Jesus's door. 

Jesus groaned, slowly lifting his head and looking out the window to see it was well into the morning of the next day. He was supposed to have headed off early on a run for Gregory. He dropped his head and groaned. Daryl was sitting up, looking around dazedly before he placed a hand on Paul's back. 

"What is it?" He said in a gravelly voice. Jesus sighed and pulled himself up before grabbing his boxers and jeans and pulling them on. Daryl realized that they would have to eventually open the door and quickly pulled on his clothes. 

"It's Gregory..." Paul said. Once Daryl had pulled on his clothes Paul headed to the door shirtless and opened it to see a very angry Gregory standing there before the man scoffed, seeing Daryl. 

"Really? You slept in because you were with HIM?" The man said before rolling his eyes. "Just lovely. Like we need more ties to those Alexandrians besides you fucking them. Do you remember you were getting supplies for me today?" Jesus furrowed his brows and ran a hand through his hair, eyes still lidded with sleep. 

"Daryl is my business, not yours and those Alexandrians have saved our asses dozens of times by now. I hardly doubt a few hours is going to ruin your plans. Daryl and I will go get your supplies together." Jesus said tiredly, hardly ready to deal with Gregory's assholery so soon after waking up. 

"Ever since THEY came here it's been one thing after another. I expect you to be more practical and a little more... tasteful when it comes to these people." Gregory said with a sneer. Jesus narrowed his eyes. He knew exactly what Gregory was saying and he didn't like someone insulting his mate. Something in his eyes must have shown Gregory what he was saying because the pompous older man stepped back. Jesus stepped forward. 

"I can't have you talking about any of them, let alone Daryl like that, Gregory." Jesus said. Normally, he was able to keep his cool just fine but something in him was getting more and more riled up. Without even realizing it he had Gregory slammed against the wall, glaring up into those beady little eyes of his. 

"Jesus- come on you can't be serious right now-" Gregory started but Jesus slammed him back again into the wall and could feel an alien growling noise coming up from his throat. Gregory's eyes widened. "What-what's wrong with you-" 

"Daryl is MINE. Don't look at him. Don't talk about him. Leave him alone." Jesus said, quietly but fiercely. He registered the fact that Daryl had hurried past them and downstairs which only made him angrier that Gregory had drove him off. He slammed Gregory against the wall again. "I'll get your shit but only for the community. Now, what did I just say?" He could feel the coward trembling as he held him against the wall by his jacket. 

"D-daryl-don't look at him or t-talk to him. I got it-" Gregory said, holding up his hands in surrender." Paul narrowed his eyes and let go of him before going into his room and pulling on his shirt then running outside. He saw Daryl trudging off down the street and called out, running to him. 

"Daryl! Wait!" Daryl didn't turn around, as expected, ignoring him. There were people out of their trailers, including Maggie, who were staring, noticing something more interesting than washing laundry was going on. Jesus paid no mind and came around to face Daryl, who only side stepped him. He grabbed Daryl's arm and the male stopped, eyes narrowing as he looked at the ground like a cobra thinking about striking. 

"Daryl, please don't just run away because of Gregory. He's an asshole. Everyone knows it." Paul said. Daryl gritted his teeth, looking away from the younger male. How was it no matter how old he got he always felt like everyone else was superior and he was the child? He should be able to get over how others felt about him but it always seemed to hurt. 

"Nah, he's right. Leave me alone." Daryl muttered, pulling his arm away. 

"Daryl, it doesn't matter what he or anyone else thinks." Jesus said. Daryl shook his head, beginning to walk away again. Paul felt he had no other choice; he hurried in front of his mate and stopped him in his tracks again, grabbing hold of his leather vest before leaning up on his toes to kiss him in front of anyone who was watching. Daryl froze but Paul just reached to wrap his arms around the hunter's neck, leaning into him. Paul was surprised but relieved when he felt strong arms envelope him and the chapped lips on his own move in response, just for a moment before Paul took mercy on his mate and released him, knowing full well his face was burning at the intimacy shown in front of others. Sure enough when he pulled back he saw his archer practically glowing red at his ears in particular and looking down shyly. "Daryl, I love you." Paul murmured, leaning in so only he could hear it. 

Daryl's eyes widened and he looked up into his mate's eyes, blinking in disbelief. He swallowed, trying to comprehend. 

"Paul... everyone is-"

"It doesn't matter. I love you. I want them to know you're mine." Paul said, crossing his arms over his chest as if it was settled. Daryl didn't know why but he could feel his eyes watering. He subconsciously demanded they stop as he tried to rationalize.

"No you don't. It's just the chemicals fuckin' with us." Daryl said, forgetting everyone else. Jesus shook his head. 

"I wanted you before this... not for physical reasons alone. I liked you before. I love you now." He said, reaching forward to stroke his hunter's cheek. Daryl furrowed his brows like his admission physically hurt him, taking a step back. His eyes were watering and he ducked his head before wiping at his them. 

"Ya can't." Daryl muttered. "Jus'... leave me alone." He said before turning and walking away. Paul blinked, watching him go and feeling his heart tighten, thumping like it might break. He knew Daryl couldn't accept himself but... why couldn't he just let Paul accept him instead? If it took forever, he would work to make Daryl understand what he saw in him. Paul was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a clearing of a throat nearby. 

"Jesus, I know you help hilltop but can you please keep your type of thing private?" He heard a woman's voice and turned around, seeing a woman in her forties by the name of Cassandra standing there, arms crossed over her chest. Jesus blinked, remembering why the hell he barely stayed here anymore. 

"My type of 'thing?'" He asked, cocking his head to the side. The woman huffed, raising an eyebrow. "Cassandra, the world has gone to shambles and the dead are running around eating people and you are worried about two men kissing in public?" He asked. She blinked a few times and looked away for a moment. 

"Well, if you're not going to be reasonable I'll just go talk to Gregory about it." She said. Jesus felt like he was going to burst with rage but he held it together. 

"That's great. You do that, Cassandra. I hope you find someone else who can get you the cumin you're always asking for." He said snippily, knowing he'd regret his pettiness later. He normally tried to rise above this sort of thing. He walked off briskly, not waiting for a response and went to look for Daryl. That was when he heard the motorcycle taking off. He turned just to see Daryl drive through the open gates. Something in his gut lurched at the sight of his mate leaving and he just ran. 

"DARYL!" He yelled, not thinking, just running, heart beating fast as he came to the gates only for them to close. He looked at the others who just closed it, feeling like his heart was in his throat. Daryl couldn't just LEAVE him! He felt like roaring, like screaming and clawing at the doors instead of thinking logically and oh, maybe getting a truck? He turned on the first person he saw; a young man named Teshawn who unluckily had been the one on gate duty. 

"Why did you let him leave?! We're supposed to have partners!" Jesus yelled, his voice backed by that odd growling noise from earlier, making him seem much more threatening than he ever was normally. Teshawn's eyes widened, more at the growl than anything. 

"What-What's wrong with your voice-" Jesus cut him off, backing him up against the fence, baring his teeth. 

"Don't you EVER-" Jesus quite suddenly came to his senses, stopping himself. What the hell was wrong with him? He never just lashed out like this and so many times in one day? His eyes were wide in shock and he backed off, pulling in a deep breath through his nose. The poor man's eyes were wide and nearly popping out of his skull in shock. 

"I am... so sorry, Teshawn. I should never have talked to you that way. I... I don't know what's gotten into me lately..." Jesus said, stroking a hand through his hair and looking away as he tried to think things through a little clearer. Teshawn relaxed a little, looking at the other person on gate duty in confusion; a woman named Irene. She shrugged. 

"Uh, that's okay, man, I get it... I think..." Teshawn said, scratching at his head through his thick curly hair with a raised eyebrow. "What's up with your voice, Jesus? You okay?" Jesus looked up, trying to look like his normal level-headed self. 

"Yeah... Totally. Just have kind of a cold..." He said with a small smile. Teshawn just nodded in confusion and Jesus turned away awkwardly, trying to think of his course of action. Daryl must be heading back to hilltop. He needed to grab a car and his supplies as soon as possible. He headed up the hill when he saw Doctor Carson coming towards him. He frowned when he saw the look on his face. Something was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Just a heads up, please only give me positive feedback unless it's grammatical errors. I don't do well with negative feedback and positive comments help me write! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this takes place after Negan and the Saviors are gone but... for some reason Denise is still alive? I dunno why... I wasn't really thinking when I did it. lol.

"Hi, Dr. Carson. What's up?" He asked. The doctor seemed somewhat frazzled and was holding some papers, looking relieved to see Jesus. 

"Hey, Jesus. I'm glad I found you first. I thought maybe we should talk in private." Jesus felt anxious and knew he needed to head out but something didn't seem right. He just nodded and followed doctor Carson back to his office. Once they were inside the doctor sat down and gestured to the other chair. 

"I think you should sit down. Here's some water for you." He said, placing a glass down on the desk as if he had it prepared already. Jesus raised an eyebrow in somewhat anxious amusement. 

"What is it? You didn't want Daryl here?" Jesus asked. Doctor Carson looked down at his desk for a moment and then at the papers he was holding. 

"Well, that is a bit of a cowardly act on my part... but I thought it would be best to tell you and let you break it to him when you think it would be best..." The man said, scratching at his reddish hair nervously. "I'll want to do a few more tests to make sure, this is completely foreign, of course so we can't be certain the physiology will be completely right..." 

"Doctor Carson...?" Jesus was getting more anxious by the moment and if Dr. Carson didn't hurry up he was going to just grab the papers out of his hands himself and make of them what he could. Dr. Carson sighed and set the papers down, looking at Jesus squarely, now. 

"Daryl can get pregnant and quite possibly is. It has only been a few days since his heat so we can't know for sure but based on my tests he is fertile. I think there is a good chance he is pregnant but It's quite early on so there would not have been anything to see on the ultrasound-" He felt like time was stopping, like the whole world had gone silent besides the beating of his heart in his ears. Jesus blinked a few times, trying to think. One part of him was practically purring with some sort of satisfied excitement, the other side was panicking and in disbelief. 

 

"No... He can't be... the documents said that it couldn't happen..." He said, his own voice sounding strange to his ears. Doctor Carson shook his head. 

"Well, it said they hadn't had any instances of it yet and it seemed unlikely, not that it wasn't possible... and as far as we know Daryl has a perfectly good uterus and ovaries... It would not be unlikely that a person with a uterus and ovaries could be pregnant." Doctor Carson said, seeming almost in disbelief himself. Jesus shook his head before dropping his head into his hands. 

 

"What are we going to do...?" He muttered. Suddenly, his mind remembered that Daryl was out on the road by himself and panic suddenly seemed to nearly rip his heart out of his chest. His mate, his possibly pregnant mate, was in danger! "D-Daryl-" He suddenly got up, running to the door only for Doctor Carson to hurry after him and slam the door shut again. "Doctor Carson-Daryl-!" 

"Jesus- You have to calm down before I'll allow you out. I know this is a lot to handle but-" 

"NO." Jesus growled. "Daryl left! He's gone! I have to get him-" Dr. Carson's eyes grew wide, hearing the growl in Jesus's voice. 

"Jesus... when did this... growl in your voice just now start occurring?" Dr. Carson asked in concern. Jesus narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth. 

"Let me out, Dr. Carson..." Jesus said slowly. He felt this white hot anger inside of him that wanted to lash out; to bite, to kill. He wouldn't but he felt it. Dr. Carson was now staring at his mouth, eyes wide in shock. 

"Jesus, we need to look at you again... you've changed in the last day here... When did your teeth come in like that?" Jesus's anger was slowly subsiding, but the panic was not. He flicked his eyes to the doctor's, seeing the fear there. What did he mean? He ran his tongue over his teeth and was surprised to find that all four canines had lengthened and sharpened dramatically. That had not been in the documents... Dr. Carson slowly moved away and gestured to the examination table. 

"Can you please sit down?" Jesus couldn't stop thinking about Daryl. He shook his head but didn't move. "Jesus, please, let me see what's changed and then I can help you look for Daryl myself. Alright?" Jesus furrowed his brows at the older man before slowly moving to the table and sitting. He breathed slowly, trying to work his way through the alien feelings inside of him threatening to burst. He noticed Dr. Carson was moving slowly and calculatingly even as he pulled on some rubber gloves, as if trying to not tempt a stray dog to bite. Jesus watched him, working to get his emotions back to the same controlled level he was used to. "I'm going to feel your neck again, alright?" Dr. Carson said gently. Jesus nodded and held his head higher. He felt the man's larger hands gently pressing at his neck in different places and could actually feel him pressing at the new scent glands. It felt alien; different. The doctor ran his fingers over the front of his neck and stopped, furrowing his brows before pulling his hands away. 

"The scent glands are bigger and I think your throat feels... off. I don't know how else to explain it but it would explain the growling noise you were making before. When did that start?" The older man looked pensive, looking over Jesus in concern. 

"Uh... This morning..." Jesus said, furrowing his own eyebrows. Dr. Carson started touching his jaw, eyes focused. 

"Open your mouth, please." He said. Jesus opened his mouth and Doctor Carson drew his lips back from the canines. He actually heard the man swallow and watched as his pupils grew smaller. "Your canines are longer, both the top and the bottom. I'm wondering if this is a side effect of whatever genes they messed with to create this virus? Did you notice any changes in Daryl at all?" Dr. Carson said as he drew back. Jesus shook his head. 

"Everything happened really fast this morning... " Jesus said softly, rubbing at the back of his neck where Dr. Carson had poked at his scent glands. 

"Did you two do anything different last night that could have caused this? Possibly even just sleeping in the same room or... exchanging fluids?" Dr. Carson asked. Jesus blinked and nodded. 

"Well, we had sex... we haven't done that since the heat..." Jesus said. Dr. Carson nodded. 

"Without protection?" Jesus nodded, blushing a little. 

"Daryl was a virgin and I'm clean so I didn't think anything of it, really." Jesus said. 

"I'm not talking about STD's I'm just saying that your body may be just reacting further to him and it's causing the virus to continue its course because of the hormones. Perhaps they hadn't studied further than just the initial reaction and this is more advanced now which is why we don't have any information on this..." Jesus blinked and him and nodded, his heart thudding quickly in his chest as realization hit him. 

"How-how far do you think this will go? What-do you think I'm like, not going to be human anymore?" Jesus asked. Dr. Carson chewed on his lip and shook his head, beginning to pace. Jesus got up from the table. 

"I don't feel it will go much further... at least not to the point where you change species... but we have to keep recording what happens and keep a close eye on it. And we need to find Daryl." Dr. Carson said, suddenly strolling to a coat rack and grabbing his jacket. "Let's go." He said. Jesus nodded determinedly. He had to find his mate.

-

Jesus drove a little too-quickly to Alexandria... They ran over a walker in the process and had to clear the gunk out of the wheels which took extra time. The scout wasn't too pleased about it and the anxiety about Daryl was driving him closer and closer to the edge. By the time they got to Alexandria the sun was setting. The gates opened once they saw it was Jesus and he drove straight to the house he and Daryl had been staying at. He didn't wait for Dr. Carson when he jumped out of the car and sped into the house, leaving the door wide open in his rush. 

Inside it was empty and untouched. Everything was as they left it. He ran upstairs and into Daryl's room; empty. He ran into a few of the other bedrooms: empty. He looked into the two bathrooms, finding them empty as well. He was so on-edge that when Dr. Carson came up the stairs he nearly tackled him, thinking it was an intruder. He had his hands on Dr. Carson's Jacket and was growling in his face when his wits came back to him and he released the frightened man. Dr. Carson backed up a bit and leaned against the wall, holding a hand to his heart as if trying to still it's rapid beating. 

"Sorry... This...it's making me... angry... anxious... I... I have to find him. I feel like... like a piece of me is missing and I'll die without it." Jesus said quietly, leaning back against a wall as well and covering his eyes. 

"That can be more of the hormones..." Dr. Carson said. Jesus nodded but frankly, he didn't care. 

"Let's check Rick's house..." He said, pushing himself off the wall before jogging down the stairs. Maybe he was at Rick's. To be honest at first he had thought Rick and Daryl were together but as far as he knew now they just considered each other family. He found it really sweet how much Daryl cared for the other man and how Rick cared for him in turn. Surely there was a chance he went to Rick for comfort. 

He headed to Rick's like death was on his heels, not really waiting for the doctor to catch up before quickly banging on the front door of Rick's home. "Rick-It's Jesus!" He called out, not patient enough to deal with any suspicion as to who is at the door. Rick answered, opening the door with a raised eyebrow. 

"What can I do for you, Jesus?" He asked with interest. Michonne was in the background holding Judith, giving him a smile. 

"Have you seen Daryl?" Jesus asked, unable to disguise the panic in his voice. Rick shook his head, looking surprised.

"No, sorry, Jesus. I thought he was with you. What's up?" The older taller man furrowed his brows, leaning against the doorway. 

"He... he's missing. He left the Hilltop this morning and hasn't come back... I... I don't really think he's here... I think I'd smell him." Jesus said, more to himself than anything. Rick raised an eyebrow. 

"I mean the man doesn't shower super often but I don't think he smells THAT bad..." Rick said with a bit of laughter. Jesus sighed and looked down, realizing he shouldn't have said that. He heard Dr. Carson approaching and Rick said hello. "I don't see you here too often, Harlan. Are you... helping find Daryl? Should I be concerned?" Dr. Carson shook his head and explained he was just helping.

"He would have come here first if he came back to Alexandria ahead of me, right?" Jesus asked hurriedly. 

"I would suppose so...You asked the front gate?" Jesus nodded. 

"I thought maybe he could get in another way if he was... hiding from me." Jesus said, looking down. 

"D'you guys get in a fight?" Rick asked. Jesus looked away. 

"Sort of... I have to go back out to find him." Jesus said, turning away and starting down the steps. Dr. Carson stopped him, grabbing a hold of his shoulders. 

"Jesus... we can't go out with it getting dark. It'll be no help except to the walkers. We can start in the morning." Jesus's brows furrowed. 

"He's right, Jesus. Daryl will be fine." Rick piped in. Jesus could feel the panic bubbling up again and shook his head. 

"No-I have to find him. I can't leave him out there alone." Jesus said, a growl beginning in his throat. Dr. Carson quickly shook his head, eyes wide, indicating for him to stop the alien noise he was making. Jesus immediately stopped growling and looked away, feeling overwhelmed. He couldn't let anyone know about the virus, nor tell as to why he was so concerned about Daryl. He didn't know where his mate was or if he was in danger. He could possibly be becoming some sort of monster... It was too much. He dropped down onto the stairs, head in his hands, knowing they were right; that it would be no help to go out in the dark looking for him. He felt a large hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Rick sitting beside him. 

"Hey... It's alright. Daryl's probably just camped out chasing a deer. He can take care of himself. He's a survivor." Rick said reassuringly. He squeezed Jesus's shoulder and Jesus just nodded, giving the man a small smile. 

"Thanks, Rick... You're probably right. He's fine..." 

-

Daryl woke up in a brightly-lit room, blinking hard as he tried to focus. Where the hell was he? He remembered setting out on the road to head back to Alexandria... and then what? He vaguely remembered a car... 

As he blinked away grogginess he moved his arms, or, tried to move them... his wrists were held tight against the wall he was sitting against. He looked to his right and saw his wrists were held tight against the wall by metal bands then he looked down and realized for the fucking second time in a row he was naked and imprisoned. At least that damn music wasn't playing and he could see... 

He looked around at his surroundings... He was in a cream-colored plain room with water-proofed floors and walls of the same texture and a one-way mirror to his left. It had to be. Why would there just be a damned mirror in this room? He glared at it. What the hell could possibly be going on now?

"HEY!" He yelled, struggling with the wrist restraints. He tried working at dislocating his thumb but it was kind of impossible with the lack of mobility. When he gave up after a few minutes of struggling the door opened and a tall man in a face mask, head-covering, gloves, and a lab coat came in through a heavy metal door. Daryl glared at him, a low growl came out of his mouth to which the man raised his brows. 

"When did the growling start happening?" The man asked clinically. Daryl blinked. What the hell were they holding him for? Was this some kind of doctor? He just bared his teeth, not answering. The man tipped his head to the side and moved forward. Daryl was trying to calculate what he was going to do and brought one foot up, prepared to kick the fucker in the balls if need-be. 

A second man came into the room. He was wearing a white coat but no face-mask or head-covering like the other man and he was cocking his gun straight at Daryl's head. 

"Don't move. We're examining you. Take it easy." He said. The other man was tall, broad shouldered and strong with black hair and a strong jaw. Daryl immediately noticed the smell. This man was an alpha like Jesus. He snarled at him but didn't move as the other doctor crouched down and grabbed his jaw.

He pulled Daryl's lips up, revealing fangs. Daryl had noticed them this morning but had no intention of telling anyone. As far as he knew this wasn't in the documents they found. 

"When did these teeth come in? I'm assuming you didn't have them before the virus?" The man questioned. Daryl's eyes widened. How had they known about the virus? He kept his mouth shut, glaring daggers. The man sighed and tried again. "You entered the laboratory, correct? One of our people who was exposed and contracted the virus smelled you on the wind. We can't have you running around like this and it seems you're in a more advanced stage than we've seen as of yet." Daryl swallowed. 

"There's more?" He asked through his teeth. The man nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out a kind of rubber tie and a syringe. Daryl started to struggle as the man began to tie the band around his bicep but the alpha in the coat clicked his tongue and cocked his gun, reminding Daryl not to move. The other with the needle tapped on his arm before pushing the needle into his bicep. The needle kind of pushed him into a new realm of feral-ness and he struggled to pull his arms out of the metal bands, growling lowly without thinking and baring his teeth. 

"Stop struggling or you will injure yourself. Have you been copulating since you contracted the virus?" The man asked. Daryl wrinkled his nose. 

"Copulatin'?" 

"Having sex?"

"I know what it means!" Daryl growled as the man seemed to have taken enough blood and pulled the needle away. 

"Have you?" the white-coat asked as he separated the syringe from the bottle holding the blood sample. 

"Why the hell should I tell you?" Daryl growled. The man sighed through his face mask. 

"Very well. I can tell you won't be very helpful. We'll get what we need when we start the examination... although... it looks as if you had..." The man said, leaning down to inspect Daryl's neck. He ran a finger over Paul's bite mark on his neck and Daryl flinched. Somehow it seemed like a violation. He struggled to pull away, panic starting to set in. It was like his body refused to be touched by anyone but Paul, his mate. Especially since he was so exposed and vulnerable. His breathing picked up and his first thought was if he was ever going to see Paul again... or even worse, what if he got captured by these assholes as well? His horrifying thought must have somehow been obvious because the doctor raised an eyebrow. 

"Where is he?" He asked. Daryl kept a straight face and shook his head. "There must have been at least one other with you. An alpha. Whoever bit you. How many were with you?" 

"How do ya know that ain't a walker bite?" The hunter asked, looking away. He was finding it very hard to keep calm. His mind was practically screaming for Paul... like his existence depended on him being near. He realized he was panting, chest heaving. He was already showing too much panic. He had to calm the fuck down. What was wrong with him? 

"You have no fever and the bite is at least five days old. You wouldn't be alive now." The doctor said dismissively. Daryl huffed, trying to pull at his wrist restraints again. They dug into his skin hard enough to at least leave a bruise. He pulled harder, focusing on the pain instead of his panic. He didn't think he could be more upset about anyone else than how he felt when he lost Beth but here he was, upset over the fact that he would never see that stupid hippie ever again. He was not going to fucking cry, goddamnit... 

"You don't need me... you got other omegas... can smell 'em." Daryl said after a moment. He could indeed smell others like him nearby once he thought about it... as well as other alphas. The doctor stopped and raised an eyebrow. 

"You know you're classified as an omega?" The white coat said with interest. Daryl narrowed his eyes at the man. 

"Read your fuckin' files, asshole. Not that hard to figure out. You think we're just gonna play like nothin's happenin' when I went into fuckin' heat? Had to know what was goin' on... What the hell is wrong with you assholes? Why would you make this shit?" The man in the white coat gave him no further answers but instead turned and left the room, the alpha raising and eyebrow before following behind, closing the heavy door after them. 

Daryl lay for a long moment, trying to think of a way out of this. He ran his tongue over his new canines, wondering what it meant. Would he just keep changing? Changing into... something else? It was an alarming thought. He tried to block it out. He wasn't going to panic any more than he already was. He focused on trying to dislocate his thumb again but it was still much-too difficult with the lack of motion. Soon his struggling was causing abrasions to his wrists. It didn't matter. He had to get out. They would heal. After a few more minutes he felt blood slicking the cuffs. It might help. He gritted his teeth, working until he felt blood trickling down his arm. The alpha suddenly slammed the door open again and crouched down, gun in hand. His other hand reached out and aggressively grabbed onto the back of his neck. Daryl's eyes went wide as he felt a strange energy. It was like some sort of command and suddenly he was complacent, going limp. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. Like he had to submit or die. He panted through his teeth, feeling small. 

"Wh-what... are you doin' to me?" He gritted out. The alpha smiled wide. He didn't have sharp canines like Daryl or Paul did now but the other man said he was showing more advanced stages than they've seen yet...

"It has something to do with submissive qualities in omegas. That's why he bit you. He did it as a sign of dominance and possession. Tell me everything that happened from when you went into the laboratory to now." The alpha demanded. It felt like he had to answer but he just gritted his teeth and looked away. The alpha sighed, releasing his neck and began taking out some gauze and antiseptic, applying it as best he could to the wounds Daryl had dealt to his wrists. He had placed his gun in his pocket. "Hmm... I didn't really think you'd answer. You'll answer soon. Perhaps we can reverse this for you if you explain." Daryl blinked and looked at the other man suspiciously. He seriously doubted it. If any of these scientists had experienced what he had experienced and they could reverse it they would have already. The doctor finished cleaning Daryl's wrists and pulled out a syringe with some sort of fluid in it. Daryl's eyes widened. 

"Don't." He growled threateningly. The alpha looked amused. He tied-off Daryl's arm for the second time that day and tapped around with his finger trying to find a vein. 

"You're quite vein-y. It helps if you have some muscle." He said almost pleasantly as he inserted the needle into the vein. Daryl started struggling as he administered whatever drug it was but the alpha pulled out the gun again. "Don't even try. You'll hurt yourself more if you struggle." Daryl stopped, barring his teeth. 

"Yer gonna die, asshole." He growled in a low tone. The alpha just smiled humorously again. 

"This is a hormone treatment designed to induce the heat you experienced before since we were not there to witness it. You should start feeling the effects within the next twenty minutes. By the way, my name is Doctor Taren Constantine. I and Doctor Crouse will be your personal doctors during your stay here. The man you saw before is Dr. Crouse. Please do not hesitate to call out if you are in need of something, would like to talk, or are experiencing any strange side-effects. The more you tell us the less invasive we will be. Understand?" The doctor cocked his head to the side. Daryl stared at him. This wasn't happening. How the hell had he even gotten here to begin with? 

"If you tell me everything, including where whoever else was infected is, I'll counteract the hormones I just injected you with." The doctor said cockily. Daryl narrowed his eyes. Like hell he was doing that. 

"Yeah, go right ahead on hopin', fucker." He grit out, turning his head away. The doctor stood and shrugged. 

"Have it your way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I would love if you would leave me a comment. It helps me keep going. Just be kind if you do, please. I don't do super well with criticism.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... heads-up there is a small amount of sexual assault in this chapter.

Daryl was really starting to panic now. He had sort-of half-believed the doctor was lying about the injection but it was possibly a half hour later and he was dripping with sweat, the fever already at peak. He could feel his stomach tightening and he felt light-headed. 

This was just what he fucking deserved. He imagined nobody actually missing him. Paul was only using him for sex. He would survive just fine without him. Daryl had gotten a lot of people killed. He was just getting his dues and he was going to suffer for it. He felt like he could almost handle torture if it didn't come with the humiliation. Fuck, he felt like his whole life was one humiliation after the next and in reaction he had built up some tough shitty facade to cope. He groaned loudly, dropping his head back against the wall. He could use a cigarette. 

He tried not to think about what was going to happen... instead his mind, heating up with fever, began focusing on his mate... his alpha. Even if he had been just using him the bastard probably didn't even know. He was so high-and-mighty with his morals and shit. Despite that... Daryl's chest ached. He... he needed him. Desperately. As soon as he knew Paul wanted him he was set on it... He hadn't known it then and would never have admitted it had he, but from the first time they met he was obsessed. The guy was insane. So lackadaisical yet so calculated. He was so clean and good, so righteous. Yet he could still see the kid in him... just a little bit. And god, he was a pretty little bastard. Those eyes haunted him in his dreams. Daryl ached.

He groaned out, struggling against the wall. It was starting. Paul... he was never going to see him again. He needed his alpha... with every part of his being. Without noticing he had started whining and only stopped when he realized it was him that was doing it. It wasn't a typically human sound and he blinked in confusion. Of course it was just another symptom of this freak show.

He panted out, desperate. He had to get out of here. He was going to start getting slick and the spasms were going to start and he was going to start begging like a dog. He keened loudly, unable to stop himself. This was worse than last time. Last time it came on more slowly. This was in the space of minutes. He squirmed, feeling like he was going to crawl out of his damned skin. 

"Let me out... This ain't right." He said in a gravelly voice towards the mirror. No answer. He huffed and tried to blow his sweaty bangs out of his face with no luck. He started shaking. That's when the spasms started. The need tore through his entire being and he cried out, shuddering, his insides clenching, just begging for a knot. 

He wasn't ready for this. Certainly not in front of a bunch of fucking strangers. He could feel them watching through the wall and he yelled, struggling like a rabbit in a trap.

For what seemed like hours he got worse and worse, his body wracked with need. He could feel his slick soaking the floor beneath him. He was humiliated but the humiliation was slowly slipping away with his sanity, replaced by his ache to breed. Yeah, he knew he wanted to breed. He wanted to be fucking full with Paul's come. He panted desperately before keening and then... begging. 

"I need my alpha- You haveta let me go. You can't leave me here like this-I'll go crazy!" The door banged open and an alpha came into the room but it wasn't the one he was looking for. A few tears slipped down his cheek before he could stop them. 

Dr. Constantine crouched down beside him with a damp wash cloth and wiped at his sweaty face, his gaze raking over him. Daryl shuddered, eyes lidded with lust though not for the man in front of him. The larger male licked his lips when he saw the slick on the floor and Daryl had to turn away, face heating up in humiliation. 

"You're doing well. No black-outs, no blood..."He said as he suddenly pushed Daryl's legs up to check his slick for it. Daryl yelled and kicked him in the face with his heel, snarling. The alpha fell back for a moment but quickly recovered, grabbing hold of the back of the tracker's neck harshly. Daryl whined at the pressure. "You do that again and this is going to get rough for you." Daryl couldn't think straight with the fucker's hand on his neck. He just whined needlessly. 

"A-alpha..." He groaned out. 

"Right here, omega." The doctor said with a smirk. 

"N-not you. MY alpha...." He growled, trying to look away. The alpha kept his gaze on him with a pinch to his neck. For some reason that triggered another spasm and the hunter writhed in his grip, trying his damndest to not make some pitiful noise. He snarled. He felt his hole leaking what felt like a fucking gallon of slick. Soon he couldn't help himself and he whined desperately. The alpha... (who was he again? Daryl couldn't remember if he tried at this point) sighed and rolled his eyes before reaching between his legs and pressing two fingers into his needful hole. Daryl's eyes snapped open wide and he screamed. He couldn't fucking fight it. Somehow his hand on his neck was preventing it. All he could do was whine uselessly and clench around the thick fingers, tight. He felt them spread and stroke and then kneed at that spot inside him that made him feel so damn good. His body was betraying him, producing more slick to entice and make it easier for entering with a knot. The doctor stopped suddenly, pulling back. Daryl sat back, gasping, eyes lidded, shuddering, and panting in pain. As much as he didn't want it, it was torture having him stop.

"That was a good reaction. You could very well even produce some pups..." The doctor said thoughtfully, Daryl whimpered, shuddering in disgust at himself. "How many were with you at the lab, omega?" The other male demanded. 

"O-one... just one, goddamnit!" Daryl yelled out, writhing in need.

"Did you breed after your heat?" Daryl nodded, gritting his teeth. He was gonna kill this fucker. "Did he have a knot?" Daryl shuddered, aching, and nodded. He felt like he was dying. He needed a knot right fucking now! "Did he come inside you?" Daryl panted, nodding again and moaning at the thought. His alpha-his alpha-his alpha-He needed his alpha! Daryl cried out in agony, tears slipping down his face again. The other alpha sighed and rolled his eyes again before sliding his fingers back into Daryl's willing hole, squelching as they fucked into him. Daryl moaned loudly, unable to stop his hips from moving against them. He was getting more and more riled up. He couldn't hold back anymore after only a few more strokes and Daryl came with a loud cry, his body working continuously to try to milk the digits like it was all he was good for. 

Daryl slumped when it was over, feeling sick and violated and still ridiculously horny. The alpha pulled his hand away. It was drenched in Daryl's slick. The doctor brought his hand up to his face, looking like he was going to lick at the viscous fluid when the door opened and the other doctor came in. 

"Taren." He said sharply. The doctor's head whipped around, glaring, before dropping his hand grudgingly and wiping it on the wash cloth he had brought. "You're letting the virus get the best of you." 

"Taren" or the doctor or whoever he was glared in the other doctor's direction before trying to explain himself. 

"The other omegas aren't producing slick or pheromones like this... It's really... tempting. He's reacting well." Constantine said, licking his lips. Daryl gasped as another spasm hit him but he tried to remain calm lest the doctor got some more ideas about messing with him. He panted, sweat dripping down his forehead. 

"Wh-whadda you mean...?" He muttered with difficulty. Dr. Craus spoke up. 

"No one but you seems to have reacted well... Blood in the slick, no slick at all, pain, non-functioning organs, death... We'll need to do a pregnancy test and if you come up negative we'll have you start breeding." The doctor said like this was all a perfectly normal everyday situation. Daryl felt feint. This wasn't fucking happening. He shook his head fast, clenching his fists. 

"No... not happening. Get yourself another guinea pig." Daryl growled as the spasms died down. The alpha reached out, trying to grab Daryl's neck again but the omega snarled, chomping at his hand and almost taking a bite out of him like a rabid dog. The doctor drew his hand back quickly looking irritated. Daryl bared his teeth threateningly. If he got out of this he was going to kill them all starting with this alpha dickwad.

"How 'bout you try it, asshole? Infect yourself and see how well you do." Daryl suggested darkly, glaring at Dr. Craus. 

"I already was exposed in the initial vial breakage. There was no reaction." He explained. Daryl noticed he had a clip-board and had begun writing things down. 

"You're all sick... who does this shit? Work on the goddamn walker virus, not... not... fuckin' with people's organs!" Daryl said, struggling again. 

"We'll allow you some movement to service yourself." Dr. Craus said finally before turning and exiting the room, the alpha standing and following grudgingly behind. 

After a few minutes Daryl's arms dropped from against the wall abruptly. He blinked and looked to see the metal bands were attached to chains through the wall and they had been released. He pulled and started moving away, seeing how far they went only to be severely disappointed when they stopped at only a few feet. The tracker groaned out, landing on his knees and elbows and bowing his head as he tried to think. He couldn't think about much more than getting a knot in him and he whimpered helplessly. 

-

Jesus knew something was desperately wrong. He didn't know how, he just knew. It was morning, daylight just breaking and no one was probably up yet but he had been up all night. If Daryl was out on his own he needed help finding him. There were too many places he could be. It wasn't like he was a good tracker like the omega was. He was hoping his nose would pick up his scent somewhere. 

He moved swiftly down the short road to Rick's house before quickly rapping on the door. Normally he wasn't this rude. But this was urgent. Rick opened the door after a few moments, gun drawn, but when he saw Jesus he sighed and holstered it. 

"Jesus, I told ya, stop worryin'. He's fine. Guy's built like one big brick. Probably out catchin' Squirrels or somethin'. Be worried when it's been three days. It's been less than one." Rick said, running a hand through his hair looking sleepy. Jesus shook his head. 

"Rick, I know this sounds crazy but something. Is. Wrong." He said, barely holding back a growl of irritation. Rick cocked his head, looking at Jesus strangely as he narrowed his eyes. 

"Yeah? And what's wrong with your teeth? You seem different." Rick said with his southern drawl. Jesus sighed and looked away, shaking his head. 

"Rick, can you just trust me?" Jesus asked. Rick leaned against the door, raising an eyebrow. 

"Jesus, now I'm not one to get in one's personal business but thangs just aren't addin' up. You and Daryl been strange. More than just some buddin' romance." Rick said. Jesus sighed. Of course he noticed. Daryl and Rick were close. He walked across the porch and leaned against one of the supporting poles, crossing his arms over his chest. Rick closed the door and moved over near Jesus with that odd placating look of his. 

"If you don't believe me on this you can talk to doctor Carson. He verified it for me once we... got back..." Jesus said, leaning his head back and looking at the boards of the roof above them. Rick put a hand on his hip, looking at him with a question. This was harder than he thought it would be. 

"I promised Daryl we were going to keep this to ourselves... but if he's in danger... we contracted some sort of virus on our last run together..." Jesus managed to spit out. 

"What?" Rick asked, all humor gone. Jesus held up his hands. 

"It's not life threatening and as far as we know it's not contagious by air from us alone."

"Why wouldn't you tell us? You don't know that. How'd you get it in the first place? I thought you had more sense than this-" Rick started on him but Jesus held up his hands, pleading. 

"Hold on, Rick.... It's not what you think. We found this laboratory.... They spilled some sort of substance on the floor but we didn't think much of it but Daryl started getting really sick... He passed out and I had to go looking for answers. I found working computers with documents regarding what they were doing there. They were trying to fix the walker virus... it didn't work. What they did create was... well, it seemed like they thought they needed more population and that most of the women were gone so they came up with their... 'solution'" Jesus said, wincing. "They called it the 'alpha omega virus.' The people they infected either didn't have any change at all or they became one of the two other options; alpha or omega... The virus effects men so that if it matches their biology correctly they can essentially grow the ability to... reproduce." Jesus was cut off by Rick's snort of laughter. He bent over, covering his mouth as he snickered. 

"I'm not. Kidding. Rick." Jesus growled. He didn't hold it back this time, letting his voice rumble with it. Rick stopped and stood up straight, eyes widening as he looked at the younger male. 

"You're serious?" Rick asked, tipping his head to the side. Jesus nodded slowly. Rick raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you're just... confused. It was a joke, you know-" 

"It's not a joke, Rick. Like I said, you can ask Dr. Carson. Daryl changed. He started getting a fever, was throwing up... we got back to the house and... he exhibited every symptom they explained in the documents I found... My symptoms showed as the other option; the alpha side. They can produce with the omegas. The others can't." Rick blinked several times at him and put both hands on his hips, finding it hard to believe. Thankfully, Dr. Carson showed up, realizing Jesus had left the house. He walked up and saw the two talking. Rick gestured at Jesus. 

"Harlan, you wanna tell me what Jesus is sayin' is bullshit?" Dr. Carson shrugged. 

"It depends on what he's saying, I suppose." Rick snorted, covering his eyes and shaking his head. 

"I told him about the Alpha Omega Virus." Jesus said. Harlan raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

"I would have told you the walking dead were an impossibility not long ago... Daryl and Jesus both have unexplainable changes in biology that match the descriptions in the documents they found." The doctor said. Rick stood there with his mouth open for a moment. 

"You're sayin'... Daryl's this omega thing?" Rick asked in disbelief. Dr. Carson nodded. 

"Both of them grew scent glands and have unbalanced hormone levels. Daryl's organs have rearranged and he grew extra ones just like it said. It seems highly likely he can produce. Jesus, show him your teeth." The doctor suggested. 

Jesus sighed, feeling exhausted already. It was a lot of work explaining this crazy shit to someone else. He bared his teeth to the other male and the man's eyes nearly filled up his whole face with how wide they were. 

"He... Daryl went into heat when we got back to his house... I helped him through it... not that I had much choice... It seemed like... we had to. Like he was supposed to be mine... He is mine. I think I bit him to kind of... claim him?" Jesus said, wrinkling his nose. "Things are complicated. I'm... growling... Sometimes I feel I have a almost sixth-sense with Daryl and there's points where I have trouble controlling my anger... I'm hoping this is as bad as it gets. But the point is I think I can sense Daryl's in danger and the alpha part of me is getting more and more anxious. It's taking a lot of will-power to not go hiking off into the forest myself. We need to find him. I think I might be able to increase our chances by smelling him out. We have pheromones. I can smell him easily." Jesus explained. Rick was just standing there rubbing at his beard in wonder. 

"Honestly, its still hard to believe..." He said. Jesus sighed. 

"Nevermind. I have to go find my mate-" He said, turning around only for Rick to grab his shoulder, stopping him. 

" but I don't see why you'd be makin' this up." Rick finished. "We'll help ya find him. Lemme get dressed and I'll come with ya." Rick said. Jesus turned back to face him and nodded. 

"Thanks, Rick." 

-

Once out on the road Jesus only got more jittery. They decided to head towards the nearest available designated rest-stop. They had the windows down just in case Jesus somehow got a whiff of Daryl's scent. 

"So y'all don't think this is contractible?" Rick asked, making sure. 

"Well, I have a theory it could be sexually transmitted or through blood..." Jesus said, watching the trees as if he'd just randomly see Daryl in the woods as they drove by. 

"But not by like, sneezin' on me?" Rick asked. Dr. Carson spoke up. He was in the back seat. 

"It's not likely. The original idea as explained by the documents was to make it airborne but they hadn't figured out how to do that through the subjects alone, only through the chemical. Daryl and Jesus were exposed to the chemical particles in the air so they contracted it. As long as no one goes in that lab again everything should be fine with the exception of Jesus and Daryl. They will most likely have to have a period of time each month where they can hole-up alone for Daryl's heat." Dr. Carson explained. Rick's eyebrows rose. 

"You mean y'all gotta do that every month? You can't do anythin' til' it's finished?" Rick asked. 

"Well, not unless you want us to suddenly start humping in the street, no. We practically lose out minds to it. It's not something you can fight." Jesus said. Now that Rick had a good deal of information on something pretty private, the scout figured he had no reason to be eloquent now. Rick raised an eyebrow at Jesus. "We'll probably only be out for about two days." Rick nodded. 

"Seems weird it would happen to Daryl. He generally likes to keep to himself about anythin' personal. So you two only got together becaus'a this?" The older male asked. Jesus furrowed his brows. 

"Not really. There was tension before this. I had a suspicion Daryl was gay from the beginning. He verified it later." Jesus said. Rick chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking. 

"You didn't make him decide he had to do anythin'?" Rick asked. Jesus realized that Rick was feeling protective of Daryl and he raised his brows. 

"Rick, you know I couldn't make Daryl do anything. The man used his will alone to get through psychological torture." Jesus said, referring to when Daryl was imprisoned at the sanctuary. Rick sighed out, nodding. 

"Alright, yeah, I know that... Just be good to him, Jesus. We'll find him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please be kind in the comments but I do appreciate them! It helps me keep going. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Daryl spent forever trying to hold himself off, trying to somehow STOP the heat from happening. He felt so much weaker than he ever had before. A piece of him had changed... and for good. Even if the rest of his group didn't know, he would know... if he got back there... He felt like what he assumed women felt like in some of the roughest climates. That's why he never acted any different to them. He didn't like how they were treated. He wanted to be better than that... he hated how Merle had treated them but he had never put much effort into telling him to quit it. He had just followed his stupid fucking brother around like a lost puppy. God, it's like the fucking virus knew what he was really like; that he was a weak, anxiety-ridden, scared little puppy looking for an owner. What a useless pile of waste. No wonder he was the omega between he and Jesus. The man had so much sheer leadership qualities. He was fearless. He was strong and swift and ridiculously good-looking. He made everyone around him listen without yelling. 

Daryl sobbed. It seemed like he would just keep thinking about his mate and how the last time he had seen him had been a disaster. The guy had told him he loved him... No one had ever told him that... and he just couldn't handle it. There was no way anyone could. Hell, when he was a kid he had been lost for a week and no one had gone looking for him. No search parties, nothing. Nobody would have cared if he had died out there. That still hurt to the core to think about. Fucking digging through the dirt and eating worms to survive... No one was looking for him now. Just like they hadn't then... but he really wished Paul was. His alpha... 

Daryl was hit with a new wave of heat just as he thought he had somehow gotten himself under control. He cried out, sat there for the longest time just trying to keep himself from touching himself because then he was just giving the sick bastards watching him exactly what they wanted. But after minutes and minutes and spasm after spasm of need, he found himself on his elbows and knees, head bowed, and his hand sneaking between his legs to somehow relieve himself. He didn't even try touching his cock with his hole so wet and begging. He slid his fingers over his hole and whimpered pitifully. This was what he needed. Just a bitch in heat. He groaned and slid a finger inside, moaning loudly as he finally got at least a little of the friction he needed, rocking back on his finger before adding another. He curled his fingers forward and it was so damn good he nearly collapsed, shuddering. He found himself on his shoulders now, only his legs propping him up, cheek against the floor as he writhed, body squeezing tight to what little it could get. God, he wanted Paul's knot. This was not nearly enough. He stroked inside more, adding a third finger, stretching himself, pretending it was Paul and that soon he'd be fucked properly. He cried out at the thought, imagining Paul's cock impaling him, filling him. Suddenly he came, loudly. His fingers were squeezed tight inside him and his body shook with it... and yet, when it was done it simply wasn't enough. He was practically salivating for more. He just remembered the doctors watching and he turned to look at the mirror. 

"Enjoying the show, fuckers?" He growled, leaning back against the wall and holding up his middle finger. 

Daryl sighed and leaned back, trying to move his mind away from the constant need. He reached up to trace the mark of Paul's teeth on his neck, then touched the spot on the back of his neck where the alpha had pinched. He pinched there too, experimentally, and made a face as he almost fell limp. It was like a new fucking pressure point or something. But the alpha had been able to do more than make him limp. He was almost able to command him. More shit to deal with... 

Daryl looked up just as the door opened, the doctors coming in again. One had some sort of remote and pressed a button. The chains attached to the wall immediately pulled back until Daryl's wrists were held tight and immobile again. He snarled angrily. 

"What?" He muttered, glaring up at the two. Dr. Craus was holding a clip board and looking over some information. 

"Your tests came back negative. You're not pregnant. We'll have you start breeding as soon as possible with some of the more virile alphas." Daryl's eyes widened. They were not serious. 

"Like hell I will!" He snarled. His heart started beating like a rabbit's and he felt cornered, panting wildly. The alpha, Constantine, chuckled. 

"You know it's what you're aching for, omega. You'll feel better after." He said, licking his lips like a hungry predator. Daryl growled, baring his teeth and snapping. 

"Get the fuck away from me!" He snarled. The alpha ignored him and looked at Dr. Craus. 

"Have him in with Davis first. Should be big enough to get him to submit. He's already in rut. Then... Allen, and then me." The larger man said, seeming perfectly okay with whatever savage storyline he was coming up with. Dr. Craus nodded, marking something on his clip board. 

Daryl's mind was buzzing around like a bee on steroids, hopping from one thought to the other. Holy hell what was he going to do?! Could he get pregnant?! How could he stop this? What if he couldn't stop HIMSELF? How long was this going to go on? What would survival even matter if this was his life? What would his alpha think if he somehow got to Daryl and he was already knocked up by another alpha? Daryl struggled like a raccoon in a trap, barely thinking, instinct alone. When the alpha doctor's hand came near he bit at it but wasn't quick enough before the asshole had a hold of the back of his neck again like a vice. He gave one last snarl. 

"Not gonna be as easy as y'think, dick..." He muttered as his body started to give-in. He slumped, baring his teeth, and they managed to somehow unclip the wrist cuffs from the wall and connect them behind his back before the doctor released his grip on his neck. 

"Seems easy enough, Daryl." The alpha mocked. Daryl was suddenly hauled to his feet. Too quickly, it seemed as he saw spots in his vision and grew dizzy. It might have had something to do with being in the middle of heat. Daryl couldn't tell. He leaned forward, held standing by the alpha holding onto his bound wrists. He was hardly able to stay upright, head hanging as he panted, the heat thick in his veins. He felt slick running down the inside of his thigh and he shivered. 

"Start walking." The alpha demanded. Daryl growled low, eyes narrowed to slits. "Walk, omega." Daryl huffed. 

"How come... how come you ain't goin' crazy yet?" Daryl wondered, only realizing he said it out loud once he heard the alpha laugh. 

"I'm on a small dosage of hormones until it's time for us to breed... Unless, that is, if you tell us where the alpha that bit you is. Then, perhaps, we'll allow him to breed you instead." For a moment that was perfectly reasonable to the hunter. That's what he wanted! He wanted Paul! He nodded for a moment until his mind caught up with his needs and realized what he was thinking before strictly shaking his head. What was he thinking? Then they would have Paul too! Assholes were messing with him when he wasn't even in his right mind! 

"Right... dipshit..." He muttered, rolling his eyes. The alpha shoved him forward and through the door. It was a white hallway with barely anything in it and Daryl wondered where he could possibly be. How long had he been out before he first woke up? Daryl had to double-over as another wave of need hit him and the alpha tried to shove him forward only for him to end up on the ground like a discarded rag-doll before writhing in agony. He gritted his teeth and even in need like this, managed to strike out with his foot at the nearest leg-Dr. Craus's- and hitting his knee so hard there was a loud cracking noise. The doctor cried out in pain, falling back and grabbing at his most-likely destroyed knee. 

For a moment Daryl reveled in victory but that was quickly extinguished when the alpha doctor hauled him back up away from the screaming one and pushed him down the hall. He was suddenly shoved into a room and yanked down to the floor before the doctor grabbed his neck again and pinched so hard Daryl felt like he couldn't breathe. He lay helpless and dazed for a minute as the doctor attached his wrist cuffs to the same point in the wall. He had just a little bit of chain but his wrists were held together now, making it more difficult to move. The hunter was now flat on his back with his wrists held over his head as the doctor stood, assessing that Daryl was properly subdued before nodding.

"That was a poor decision, omega. You'll find it's best to be on Dr. Craus's good side." The doctor said, huffing from the exertion of having to wrangle Daryl. Daryl ignored him, looking around the new room. It was almost identical to the last room except this time another man was in it, chained by one wrist to a point in the wall. Daryl stared. It was another alpha. The first thing Daryl noticed was the smell and he wriggled against his will, the feral omega part of himself quite enjoying it. This alpha was ready to mate. The doctor had called it "rut."The man was large, tan, and naked. He was easily around six and a half feet, hair dark and a little mussed. 

"I got you one you can have, Davis." Constantine said, waving his hand at him. The man was purposefully out of reach of the other alpha who was looking at him like he was a threat and was going to rip him apart. "His name is Daryl. Don't be too rough. Once the rut cools off we'll let you out." Daryl furrowed his brows. He hadn't thought this one was a doctor but he wasn't a prisoner? 

The Alpha, Davis, was staring at Daryl like he was the only one in the room now, mouth slightly open as he took in his scent like it was the only thing he cared about. He was erect and fucking gigantic like Paul was. Daryl shuddered and bared his teeth in warning. 

"Daryl, be nice." The man said mockingly, "I'll be back in a few hours." Daryl struggled as the Doctor began to leave. 

"FUCK YOU." He snarled, knowing what was coming. The doctor closed and locked the door, leaving Daryl alone with the huge alpha. He felt his eyes raking every inch of his form and Daryl just glared, trying to prepare himself for what was coming. Somehow, some way, he was going to get out of this. 

"Touch me and you'll die like the rest'a these morons." Daryl warned. The alpha barely seemed to register it. Daryl could feel more slick dripping from his hole and he shuddered, squirming as another wave of intense need hit. He rubbed his thighs together in a futile attempt to calm himself and heard the alpha across the room growl. 

"Omega... " He murmured low. Daryl shuddered and tried his damndest to pull his thumb out of joint but it seemed the cuffs were just too tight no matter how much he tried it. He heard a noise and realized as the alpha began advancing that it was the chains being released from the wall and that he had plenty of chain to do whatever he wanted while Daryl had very little give. 

He gritted his teeth and managed after a few tries to get on his knees but that left him in an awkward position that he saw was no real help. He rolled back over, trying to assess the situation, eyes moving back and forth frantically around the room. He had very few options and he really had no desire for any of them. He chewed on his lip as the alpha advanced, dropping to his knees in front of Daryl. 

"I'm warnin' you..." Daryl growled but the alpha seemed really beyond the human language at this point. He ran a hand up Daryl's thigh and the hunter shivered, shaking his head. "Alpha, ya can get away now b'fore somethin' happens... don't gotta be this way..." Daryl tried to say it softly, gently, like he was his friend. The larger male moved further forward and Daryl held his legs closed as the only modesty he had. The male straddled him, running a hand over Daryl's cheek and pulling his head to the side so he could press his face in against his neck and breathe in his scent. Daryl stiffened, panting desperately in panic and arousal. The male grabbed both his thighs, shoving them apart forcefully, making Daryl snarl and struggle. It just seemed to turn the brainless male on more. He gasped when the male shoved his hips between his legs. This was it. Daryl whined helplessly.

"Alpha..." He whined, voice higher. "Alpha... let me scent you..." Daryl panted, licking his lips as the alpha pulled back, at least seeming to have understood that. The man seemed to almost purr and he nuzzled against Daryl, leaving his throat available for Daryl to press his face to. Daryl nuzzled against his throat in kind, running his tongue over hot skin. The feral omega part of him was ecstatic with the contact but Daryl wasn't having any of it. He opened his mouth wide and before the alpha could think anything was wrong Daryl's fangs were tearing into his neck. He ripped and shook his head, snarling, screaming, as he bit through flesh until his teeth met. He couldn't honestly tell who's screaming was louder; the alphas or his own. Blood spurted all over his face and into his mouth, hot, sticky, and nauseating. Daryl snarled in disgust before spitting the pieces of flesh out even as more blood flooded out of the alpha's neck and over Daryl's naked skin. He lifted his legs and with as much force as he could muster at the moment, managed to shove the huge gurgling alpha off of him. Daryl remembered Rick doing a similar thing and thinking it was the most insane thing he'd seen the man do... Now he was in the same boat. 

 

"F-fuck! FUCK!" Daryl sputtered. The hunter felt more like an animal than ever, coughing up blood and feeling the sticky fluid covering his face and neck and his chest. He shuddered in disgust just as the alpha laying next to him gurgled his last breath. Daryl watched as his eyes went dull, feeling like he was going to wretch. He wasn't surprised when the alpha doctor and three other men entered the room in what appeared to be full hazmat suits and dragged him out of the room. 

Daryl figured he was in shock, having almost been fully raped and then ripped a man's throat out. Everything seemed to be going too fast and in slow-motion at the same time. He found himself standing in a tiled room, hands cuffed over his head so that he was barely touching the floor. He coughed some more blood and shook his head, trying to think straight. He barely had time to get his bearings before he was being sprayed full-force by high-pressured water. Daryl sputtered, trying to get air but the water was splashing in his mouth and his eyes. He yelled, struggling and kicking. 

"C-CAN'T-FUCKIN'- BREATHE-" He managed to spit out, doubtful if they heard him over the roar of the water. They stopped for a moment so they could turn him around facing the wall then started spraying him down again. At least this time he could catch his breath enough to cough up all the water he just inhaled. It went on so long that Daryl barely noticed when they had stopped, head hanging, shaking from the cold as water dripped from his hair. His whole body hurt and the worst part was he was still in such intense need that as soon as he could get up the strength for it he cried out in pure misery, hoping to just pass-out and be done with it. He was left alone in the room to drip-dry like old laundry. 

-

Jesus felt... oddly uncomfortable. He was so on edge that he almost felt like taking up Daryl's habit of smoking but being on-edge didn't account for the odd sensation he felt. He shook his head suddenly when Rick took a turn and suddenly grabbed the dash. 

"NO!" He yelled loudly. "STOP. STOP." Rick was so startled he stopped the car hard enough that he thought the airbags would deploy. 

"JESUS-... Jesus..." He said after realizing the redundancy of the sentence he was about to make. He watched as Jesus sprang out of the vehicle, running off the road. Rick and Dr. Carson stared after him for a moment before Rick unbuckled his seatbelt. 

"Shit..." He muttered, getting out of the car and going after him. "Jesus, can ya explain this to me?!" He called out to the petite man who seemed to be walking around in circles in a part of the woods near the road. Rick watched as he stopped and closed those large eyes of his, as if focusing on something. 

"He was here..." Jesus muttered, feeling at least a little relieved to smell Daryl's sweet scent. He breathed it in. He realized after a few moments that Daryl's was not the only scent he was smelling. He could smell what his brain identified as others like him; alphas. He furrowed his brows, letting out a low involuntary snarl and looked up to see Rick staring at him with wide blue eyes. "I thought it was crazy... it... it felt like something was wrong... I was right. Someone took him. Alphas. Like me, Rick." He explained. Rick blinked at him. 

"Y' think it was the people from the lab y' said y'entered?" Rick asked. 

"That's my best guess." Jesus said. He furrowed his brows, trying not to think what they could be doing to his mate. "God.... he could be pregnant, Rick... what if they do something to him?" He muttered. Rick shook his head and put a reassuring hand on the younger man's shoulder. 

"Y' said it yerself, Jesus. The man's strong. He'll be fine." The leader said with a small smile. Jesus furrowed his brows, dropping his head. He felt like he was going to go insane if he didn't find his mate soon. This wasn't right. After a moment Rick spoke up again. 

"C'mon, Jesus, can't y' smell him out or somethin'?" Rick said with a smile. Jesus looked around, trying to latch onto that alluring scent again. After a moment he nodded, heading back to the car. 

"Let's head south of here down Chariot Road." He said, his strides quick and sure. The problem that truly bothered him was that if they didn't pick Daryl up to question him, then they picked him up because he was an omega and they were alphas... and if they smelled what Jesus smelled, well, they wouldn't want to let him get away. He got back in the car and shoved his palms to his eyes, seething in rage that someone would take his mate. HIS mate. 

Dr. Carson sat up and leaned forward looking at Jesus in concern. 

"Are you alright? Are you having further symptoms?" He asked clinically. Jesus half-wondered if this was Dr. Carson's idea of fun; having a crazy unknown virus that he needed to figure out. He shook his head. 

"Feels like my heart's going to pound out of my chest... I'm feeling... possessive? I feel like that's mostly the alpha stuff because generally I should just be worried... It's more than that, though. I'm just... furious." He said, trying to keep his emotions under control. He hadn't been this out of control since he was a teenager. 

"Well, your test results showed an abnormally high level of testosterone... This is generally an effect of that. But I'm not sure what you mean by possessive." Dr. Carson said. "Did you find something?" Jesus nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"Smelled other alphas... and Daryl. I can't help but think they want him..." He said, ending in a half-snarl that made the other two men's eyes widen, alert. Rick turned away, chewing on the inside of his lip and started the car again, turning around and heading off in the other direction.

"They have to be holed-up in some place near the lab... It's the only thing I can think makes the most sense..." The youngest man murmured, keeping his thoughts mostly on scenting the wind as it went past the car. Jesus just hoped they would get there in time. 

-

They had been driving for awhile and Jesus had lost the scent. They were currently out of the car and walking around trying to pick it up again, the other two men following behind him. If he lost the scent did that mean the place they were hiding was nearby? Or were they just going the wrong direction? He growled, grabbing at his head through his hair. If he didn't find Daryl soon he was going to lose his mind. He could already tell he wasn't completely in his right mind. For some reason he kept thinking about ripping out Rick's throat. What was the reason? Why would he care? Did he think he was a threat? He scored his mind for the answer until he looked at the older man with narrowed eyes. 

"Do you... do you WANT him?!" He suddenly growled out, coming to the conclusion. Rick blinked at him and raised an eyebrow. 

"Want... who? Daryl? I mean... Yeah I want him back home...?" Rick said awkwardly. Jesus glared at him. 

"It's more than that... it WAS more than that, at least." Jesus accused, hands balling into fists. He knew he was being irrational but he couldn't help it. Rick held up his hands, looking confused. 

"Jesus, where is this comin' from? Yer not actin' right..." Rick said. Jesus shook his head, trying to calm himself down but all he managed was to lower his voice so he wasn't just snarling. 

"You're telling me you all were out on the road for years and you didn't have interest in anyone until recently with Michonne?" Jesus asked. Rick's eyes widened and he smiled a little. 

"You got me, Jesus. I've been in love with Daryl all along." He said sarcastically. Jesus glared for a moment before finding some sense of rationality. He shook his head, covering his eyes with his hand and trying to think. 

"Sorry, Rick... " He muttered. "I can't think straight..." He felt horrible just randomly accusing Rick of being interested in Daryl. He had nothing to go off of. It was just that Rick was an attractive male and he knew at some point Daryl had had feelings for him that maybe he hadn't even been aware of before. He felt like his hands were itching to hold onto his mate, to claim him, to possess him. It was almost suffocating. "I might be getting messed up from, I dunno... being away too long?" That was at least what his instinct was telling him. He looked up, eyebrows furrowed. 

"It's alright, Jesus... It isn't yer fault... I know this isn't like you." Rick said with a small reassuring smile. Jesus swallowed down the rest of his emotions and nodded, turning back away and moving in another direction, working to try to get even the smallest hint of something on the wind. 

He walked around a little longer, thoughts on his ridiculously sexy mate, when he realized he was actually following the scent and hadn't realized it. It was just different... it was like when Daryl had been going crazy with heat a little more than a week ago. His eyes widened and he kept following the scent, speeding up. 

"It-it's here... he shouldn't be in heat... we just went through it... It hasn't even been two weeks yet." He said, trying to sort out what he was smelling. There were other smells. A whole lot of them: other omegas, other alphas... 

"You can smell him in heat? Are you sure? The documents said it was a monthly cycle." Dr. Carson said. Jesus nodded, looking concerned. He was already reacting to the smell. He licked his lips, thinking about mounting his mate. He had to shake his head to clear it. He took in a deep breath. 

"Yeah, I'm sure. Come on." He said, hurrying in the direction of the scent. 

-

Daryl was screaming now. The need to mate was so strong that it actually physically hurt. He didn't think that he could resist if someone wanted to take him now. He was still hanging in the room with the hose and drain in it, mostly dry now except for the slick dripping heavily down his legs. He writhed as his insides contracted over and over again, rubbing his legs together to try to get some sort of friction to no real help. Each time the contractions stopped the period of time between them seemed to be less and less. When this one finished he worked to try to catch his breath, panting desperately. That was when the door opened again, the alpha, Dr. Constantine, coming in. He wasn't wearing a mask now that Daryl had been cleaned of blood. Daryl couldn't think. He tried to think of some way to get himself out of this but all that he could think of was if he was going to get some relief from the alpha in front of him.

"I'm very disappointed about what happened earlier. We will have to gag you next time which really is no fun for either of you. Your screaming is making every alpha in this building go into rut so for now I'll be administering a test while we work to calm down the facility." The doctor said, taking an item out of his pocket. It was some sort of thick black cone-shaped object made out of rubber with an attached wire and large remote. Daryl furrowed his brows, gritting his teeth. He had no idea what that was not that he could even think to figure it out. 

"I'll be measuring the intensity of the spasms you're having. You seem to be having contractions each time, correct?" The doctor asked. Daryl looked away, chest heaving from his breaths still. The doctor grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed again for what felt like the twentieth time and he screamed in fury. 

"YES!" He gritted out. The doctor released his neck, looking satisfied. He pulled one of Daryl's legs up, Daryl having very little will to fight it and toyed with the rubber object. 

"This will measure the contractions while also stimulating you. So you get something out of this and we get something out of this. If you resist you will have to wait longer to be helped through heat. Understand?" The tall dark-haired alpha said. Daryl just nodded, watching him warily. The doctor smiled and then brought the cone up to Daryl's steadily leaking hole. Daryl's eyes widened when he realized what he was doing and he started to struggle again. He hadn't really seen sex toys much in his life but now he knew what it was.

"Ah-ah! What did I just say?" The doctor snapped, stopping. "The plug will help stimulate you. Do you want to come?" Daryl stopped. He wanted to... so badly, and he knew this might be the only way to keep his sanity. Maybe once he came he could actually think. He swallowed, closing his eyes and nodded. "Good." The alpha purred. "Hold still and open your legs wider." Daryl swallowed his pride, too desperate to care for now and let him press the plug against his entrance. Daryl winced as it started to press in. His hole slowly stretched to accommodate the thick toy and Daryl whimpered as it got wider and wider. It was good-it was so good-it was what he needed- He cried out as it got to its widest point, struggling to take it before it tapered off, lodging inside him. Daryl panted heavily, his eyes watering. It was thick and heavy inside him and he squeezed around it tightly as the doctor fiddled with the remote, looking at the reader on it as it turned on. 

"Good." The alpha said, looking up from the remote and licking his lips at the sight of Daryl filled up with the plug. He turned a dial on the remote and Daryl felt a strange sensation inside him that quickly got more and more intense. Daryl cried out, writhing as if he could get purchase against the thing inside him to no avail. 

"F-fuck!" Daryl cried out weakly. He didn't even care that the doctor was staring, watching him get off on it. The contractions started up again, squeezing tightly around the toy over and over again. It was so good! It was too much! It wasn't enough! 

Daryl braced his feet against the wall, hanging from the spot where his wrists were held, bucking as the buzzing became more intense, the doctor turning the dial. 

"Now, before you come..." The taller man said, reaching into the pocket of his coat and retrieving a vial. Daryl squirmed. He was so close- so close! The doctor turned up the dial another notch then put the remote in his pocket before moving forward, taking hold of the omega's cock and angling it to fit the head inside the vial, stroking his cock from root to head.

Daryl couldn't think! He squirmed, and screamed and panted and finally his body squeezed tight and he felt like he was coming undone, spurting as the doctor milked him of all his cum while his body tried to do the same of the toy to no avail. There was something missing... Daryl groaned, realizing he wasn't going to get the complete satisfaction he needed. At least he could think for a moment. Except all he could think of was how humiliated and ashamed he was. 

"The fuck did you do that for...?" He muttered, looking at the vial the alpha was holding. 

"To see if you are shooting blanks or not now that you are probably fertile with eggs." The doctor said, shrugging his shoulders. Daryl scrunched up his face. He had never even thought about that. He hung his head, sighing out. The alpha capped the vile and put it in his pocket then moved forward towards the omega. Daryl tensed, watching him warily. He lifted the other male's leg and grabbed the part of the plug sticking out before slowly pulling it out. Daryl moaned, squirming. It was a curious sensation. As soon as it was out the hunter felt more slick drip out of him and he groaned, shutting his eyes as his face heated up, feeling nauseous. 

"Good. Thank you for cooperating." The alpha said with an obnoxious smile. Daryl glared as he left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo.... that happened. Don't worry. Daryl will be alright. Thank you all so much for your lovely comments and for reading! I appreciate it soooo much!


	6. Chapter 6

He found it. Jesus let out a sigh of relief. 

He, Rick, and Dr. Carson had walked through the woods following Daryl's scent until they came across a large building. There was no indication anyone was inside but Jesus could smell them. He was trying hard not to react to Daryl's scent but he could feel the rut coming on. They had to act fast. 

"Alright... lets split up and circle the building. Meet up on the other side." Jesus said. Rick and Harlan nodded, starting off opposite him. Jesus pulled up his bandana over his face. Maybe the bandana would help with the smell enough for him to concentrate. He hurried off stealthily, looking over the building and making note of windows and doors. It looked like the main door just a little further once he got around the corner. He hurried through the woods, eventually meeting back up with his friends. 

"Looks like that door's the main entrance. I say we go for the back door on the other side first and see if it's open. Follow my lead." Jesus said, taking charge. He didn't want anyone getting hurt and honestly, he felt Rick had a penchant for that. They started off through the woods towards the other side and Jesus headed out, crouched with his gun drawn. Thankfully, Carson was sneakier than he gave him credit for and they managed to stay pretty quiet. He tried the door, finding it unlocked and slowly slid in once he saw the coast was clear. He gave the other two a signal to come in and they slid in quietly, closing the door without a sound. 

The place was like some sort of office building that had been fixed to be more of a hospital than anything. The floors were carpeted but they went past several rooms that had smooth floors and walls with different equipment in them. 

Jesus could smell the others as well as his mate, turning down a hallway once he made sure it was clear of any people. He heard a yell that made his heart stop. It was Daryl. He was in pain. He needed him- 

Before he even knew he had done anything, Rick had grabbed his arm and yanked him back. He had started to run. 

"Jesus- what are you doing?!" Rick whispered harshly. Jesus blinked large green eyes at him. 

"I think the rut is getting to me..." He said, shaking his head to clear it again. "Sorry. I Can smell him..." Rick sighed and shook his head. 

"I hope this subsides after this. We need you clear-headed. You're one of our best men." Rick said with a little smile. Jesus furrowed his brows and nodded. He hoped so too. He suddenly heard footsteps down the hall and Jesus acted fast, grabbing what he was sure was an alpha before the man could take action and ramming his head hard enough into the wall to knock him out. 

He laid the man on the ground and tried very hard to not continue beating the shit out of him. That was not his way. He shook his head to himself as he searched him for any weapons. He had a gun which he quickly shoved into the waistband of his pants. He then made short work of pulling a length of rope out for just this sort of occasion and tying the man's wrists and ankles together behind his back. It was probably a painful position but he wasn't taking any chances with his mate on the line. Rick looked at his work and raised an eyebrow. 

"You're almost better this way when it comes to combat..." Rick muttered. Jesus shrugged and shoved the unconscious man into one of the rooms and proceeded down the hallway. The next three were just as easy; one alpha, an omega, and a normal unaffected man. He had enough rope for all of them but his plan for basically tying up the whole building went out the window when another man came down the hallway and saw them, eyes widening before taking out his gun. Rick and Dr. Carson threw themselves back around a corner but Jesus just couldn't. He smelled Daryl on this man and he saw red. He avoided a bullet by tumbling forward in a quick summersault that surprised the alpha long enough for Jesus to kick out, tripping him. The man's gun flew out of his hand and the scout tackled him, all instinct in the moment. 

He normally had no want or need to inflict pain but in the moment, this other alpha smelling of his mate, he couldn't think and his fists began slamming into the man's face over and over again with sickening cracks and smacks. He snarled in rage when the alpha tried to stop him and grabbed the hand, wrenching it back and breaking his wrist. The other man screamed and Jesus punched him more to shut him up. He snarled when hands pulled him back by his arms and turned around to see Rick and Carson were the culprits. He panted out, looking back to see the man had passed out. He swallowed and willed himself to calm down. 

"We don't have time for that. Shoot him or leave him." Rick said, eyebrows raised in surprise at the rage he just witnessed in the smaller man. 

Jesus nodded and quickly tied the alpha up like the others, though he saw blood was draining from the back of his head. Did he really get him that bad? He most likely wouldn't survive, with his jaw out of joint and his nose broken, head cracked... and Jesus couldn't decide if he cared. 

He hurried down the hallway and he and Rick made quick work of others, Rick helping only to knock out and subdue, rather than kill, which Jesus appreciated. As he stalked down another hallway he stopped in his tracks, smelling his mate nearby. 

"Daryl..." He whispered. He moved quickly, following the scent to a door, heart beating fast. 

-

Daryl had been hanging by his wrists for hours and sighed in relief when the shackles began to release even as he crumpled onto the floor. He groaned out after a moment before curling up into a tight ball, happy to at least be able to move. He shuddered violently, somehow both cold and hot at the same time, covered in slick and sweat. He laid like that for a while. He hadn't had another spasm in a little bit but he knew they were coming. He was still aching with need and felt restless yet too tired to move. Soon he managed to drift into sleep despite it all. 

When he woke it was to some commotion in the hallway. He felt less tired but he didn't have the will to do anything to help himself. He just panted out as he felt sleepiness wearing off replaced with blinding need. It was more intense than before... he could practically taste his mate in his mouth as if he were truly there, his pheromones permeating the air. Daryl cried out in pain, tears sliding down his face. His mate wasn't here. He was just going insane. 

Daryl shuddered as his body told him to get up on his knees and spread for his mate. No. He was going to fucking lay there and hopefully fall asleep again. 

The door opened to his cell again and Daryl closed his eyes tight, hoping they weren't going to throw him in with another alpha again. Hands touched him and he flinched, curling up tighter. 

"Daryl? Baby? Fuck, what have they done to you? Baby, it's me. Are you okay?" Daryl felt his heart jump in his chest and he shook, daring to open his eyes to actually see his mate leaning over him, blue-green eyes wide with shock. He gasped. 

"Paul...?" He said, disbelieving. How the hell had he found him? He moved to sit before wrapping his arms around Paul's neck and shoving his face in against his neck, taking in his scent. God... he smelled so good... like coming home. He sobbed in relief, knowing his alpha would take care of him. He shuddered against him, practically collapsed on the smeller man. 

"P-Paul... It... it hurts..." He murmured. His mate was stroking his back reassuringly and he moaned at that simple touch alone. "P-please... Paul... I need... I need..." He ran his tongue over his mate's pulse, shaking, needing to taste him. Paul groaned and nodded, moving over and on top of Daryl. Daryl keened desperately before there was a clearing of a throat to which both men turned their heads to look. 

Daryl saw Rick and Dr. Carson looking shocked and red-faced but his fevered mind couldn't quite process it. Jesus made a pained look in their direction.

"I-I gotta do this." He said, hoping they would understand. Rick just nodded, eyes wide and slowly closed the door. Paul didn't really have the capacity to think about what they were going to do while he fucked his mate. He was already too far-gone from the rut. 

He leaned down to kiss his mate, feeling like the intense itch in him had vanished, instead replaced by his need to breed his omega. Daryl's hands clutched his shoulders hard enough to bruise while Paul ran his hands over his body checking for injuries. Everything seemed fine. He pulled back to look into his mates fevered eyes. He was a wreck. He was going to kill the fuckers that had done this. But for now he would tend to his desperately in-need mate. 

"Are you okay? can you...?" Daryl nodded, keening again before shakily rolling over and onto his elbows and knees, spreading his legs. Paul gaped. Fuck. He was presenting to him, ready to take his alpha. Daryl really was far gone. "God, Daryl..." Her murmured, half a moan, and kissed the small of his back. His mate whimpered again and he knew he couldn't wait much longer. He leaned forward, draping himself over Daryl's back and he reached between his legs to slide a digit inside of his soaking wet hole. Daryl cried out and shook his head. 

"N-now! Now! Please!" Daryl gasped, pushing back against his finger. He needed Paul's cock inside him now. If he didn't he was going to die. He had to. His whole body quaked with the need and he pushed his ass up further. 

Paul didn't need telling twice. He quickly undid his pants, pulling them down enough to unleash his arousal, already leaking with precum. He pressed it to Daryl's ass, pushing inside and he closed his eyes at the feeling, groaning. So. Damn. Good. So good to be with his mate again. Daryl cried out breathlessly, shaking his hips and trying to sink back more onto his cock. 

"Please-please-" Daryl groaned out. He needed it all. It felt like fucking heaven being impaled on his alpha's cock, still pushing inside him. He heard Paul groan and it was so good to hear his alpha's noises of pleasure. He pushed back some more, yelping when it got to be a little too much and Paul grabbed his hips. 

"Easy... easy... take it slow." Paul crooned. Daryl panted, eyes sliding shut. He whined as Paul pulled out then cried out as he pressed back in just a little further than before. God, yes! He pulled back and thrust again, this time sliding home with a moan into the spot between Daryl's shoulder blades. Daryl cried out, loudly, his body clenching tight. 

"Y-yeah-ah!" Daryl yelped as he was thrust into again. He felt so full with his mate's cock, spread so wide open. It was heavenly. Paul's knot started catching on his rim and Daryl pushed back hard, wanting it all inside. Paul pulled out and thrust again a few more times to his dismay instead of lodging inside him before his knot got big enough. Daryl pushed back one more time and started to come as the knot popped back inside of him, huge and thick and so fucking satisfying. He was quickly squeezing tight, seeing stars even as he closed his eyes. He heard a howl that he knew was his over the rushing in his ears and he felt Paul begin to come, wrapping his arms around him, crying out as his seed filled his mate. 

Daryl sobbed as he was filled-finally. He felt his stomach distending with his alpha's seed, his body still milking him. 

"Breed me- breed me-oh god-" Daryl heard himself groan into his arms. He shuddered when it stopped, Paul's knot still buried deep inside him. He very quickly lost ability to stay upright and collapsed, moaning at the odd angle of the knot in him. Jesus maneuvered them onto their sides, gently stroking Daryl's hips, kissing at his neck, and licking his claiming mark. 

"I'm so glad I found you..." Paul muttered in relief into his neck. Daryl moaned weakly in response. He didn't think he could move. "Baby... did they do something to you...?" 

Paul had to ask. He knew Daryl wasn't right. Something had happened. 

"T-tryin' to breed me... made me go inta heat... ah-!" Daryl cried out as his body started squeezing around his alpha's knot again, much sooner than his last heat did. Paul reached around and wrapped his hand around his omega's hard cock. He hadn't thought about it before. They learned during the heat before that Daryl had to have it touched otherwise he would just come without the release. Daryl stiffened and just about automatically came into his hand, moaning as Jesus spilled some more inside of him. It finished and Daryl sighed in relief, slumping again. His belly felt uncomfortably full but it felt so right... 

Jesus stroked Daryl's hair, trying to hold off his anger that someone had touched his mate until later. 

"Th-they kept touchin' me- I just wanted you..." Daryl murmured, tears slipping down his face. Paul shushed him softly, kissing his cheeks and neck, rubbing his stomach. 

"Shh... I'm here, baby... you're fine." Paul crooned as his knot went down. He pulled out and Daryl whimpered, not ready to be separated. "Shh shh shh... It's okay. We gotta get you out of here..." He realized Daryl's wrists were still shackled and felt guilty but he knew his mate couldn't have waited one more second. He slowly pulled away and Daryl started shaking again. 

"Paul..." Daryl whimpered, turning to press his face into his hands. He curled back up. 

"Hey, I'm right here. I'm just opening the door to tell Rick to grab some keys or something." He said, his heart hurting with how Daryl was acting. 

Daryl turned and opened his eyes to make sure his mate was still there but he was quickly losing consciousness. When Jesus looked back he was out. Jesus told himself it was a blessing but he was concerned. He pulled up and re-buttoned his pants before opening the door, finding the two men searching the unconscious men they had tied up. 

"Uh... you guys find any keys or something? Daryl's wrists are shackled..." He said awkwardly, knowing full well that they had heard everything. Rick stood and held up a remote. 

"It's labeled wrist restraints. Sound about right?" Rick said, not quite meeting his eyes, face a little red. Jesus nodded and grabbed the remote from him. 

"Make sure that one stays tied." Jesus said, pointing to the black-haired alpha who had his mate's smell on him. He turned back around and headed straight into the room, kneeling down and being as careful as possible at unlocking Daryl's wrists. He pressed a "release" button on the remote and tried the cuffs. They pulled open easily and he sighed in relief. At least that worked. Now he needed to find Daryl's clothes. If they didn't have his vest... He growled at the thought. He knew it was important to Daryl. He pulled his leather duster off and draped it over his mate before calling Rick in. The man came up awkwardly, one hand on his hip. 

"How's he doin'?" Rick asked. Jesus swallowed. 

"They forced him into heat. He's got a fever and his heart rate's fast. He passed out..." Jesus said. Rick furrowed his brows and nodded. 

"He gonna be alright?" Rick asked, crouching down to feel his forehead himself before wincing. "Feels like damn near a hundred and fifty degrees." He said, looking nervous. Jesus could tell the man really cared about Daryl and he smiled a little. He wasn't feeling whatever weird jealous reaction he had earlier. 

"He'll be fine. I'm sure. It was mostly like that last time." Jesus reassured him. Rick nodded, staring at Daryl with obvious concern on his face. Jesus was trying to keep it together but he was better at hiding it. He had plans for the alpha that touched his mate that he wouldn't have even considered before all of this. "Can you just watch him while I see if I can find his clothes?" Rick nodded and Jesus turned to go but his chest ached and he dropped back down by Daryl, kissing his forehead. Fuck if he wasn't crying now... He put a hand over his eyes, rubbing at them and Rick pretended not to notice. 

"Hey, I think I could find 'em a little faster. How 'bout I go?" Rick said, making an excuse for him. Jesus nodded. 

"Thanks, Rick." Rick gave him a smile and headed back out. Harlan was at the door and was holding some medical supplies. Jesus raised his eyebrows. 

"I found them on one of them. I think I should check him." Harlan said. Jesus nodded in agreement and the doctor came over, kneeling beside the unconscious male. Harlan went for the jacket, pulling it down a little after putting the stethoscope pieces in his ears and Jesus involuntarily growled. The doctor stopped immediately, looking at Jesus with just a hint of fear. The alpha realized what he had just done and looked apologetic. He didn't want someone 'undressing' his mate, he guessed. He tried to keep his emotions in check. 

"Sorry. Go ahead." 

Harlan pulled the jacket down to just above Daryl's waist and started pressing the instrument to the hunter's chest and various other places. Jesus swallowed, grabbing Daryl's hand and squeezing it. Harlan put the stethoscope down and grabbed a thermometer from the pile of supplies, uncapping it and putting it in Daryl's ear. after a few moments the device beeped and the doctor looked at it, raising his eyebrows. 

"His heartbeat is fast but regular but his temperature is a hundred and two. Do you know if it was like that before?" He asked. Jesus felt his own heartbeat pound in his ears. 

"He... he felt really really warm like this... I'm not sure if it was this bad, though." Jesus said. Harlan's lips thinned as he thought. 

"Let's just monitor it... I think he should be fine. He has no obvious bruising?" Harlan asked. The scout shook his head. 

"I think he can move fine. I didn't see anything alarming that would suggest broken limbs..." He said. Harlan nodded. Rick suddenly came back in holding up Daryl's clothes triumphantly. 

"Took out one more'a those doctors but I found 'em." He said. Jesus smiled to see the leather vest. Good. He took them from Rick and Rick made another little awkward face before he and Harlan gave the two of them some space. 

Once they left again Jesus kind of crumpled a little over his mate, resting his head on his chest lightly and stroking the little bit of chest hair he had. He pulled himself together after a few minutes and worked to try to get Daryl's pants on, realizing either the hunter's boxers were missing or he wasn't wearing any which he had found was a often occurrence. He pulled the pants on with some difficulty but the shirt was the hardest part. The man was just so thickly built. He had to turn him this way and that, all the while trying very hard to be gentle and try not to wake him. Eventually it was on and he buttoned it. After the struggle with that he decided he would hold onto the vest for him and quickly put on the hunter's socks and shoes. 

Jesus had quickly found out that as much unlikely strength as he had it was much too awkward to carry Daryl on his own and just as he and Rick were trying to get him off the ground together Daryl woke up and started struggling, swearing loudly. Rick dropped his ankles in surprise but thankfully they had barely gotten him off the ground. Daryl almost kicked Rick in his panic but Jesus dropped down behind him and wrapped his arms around his stomach, shushing him gently, lips against the back of his neck. 

"Daryl, it's just me and Rick..." Jesus reassured. Daryl immediately stopped struggling and calmed, eyelids drooping. He mumbled another swearword under his breath. 

"They... they gone?" He asked drowsily. Jesus bit his lips before responding. 

"They're subdued." He said. Daryl's lips twitched as if preparing to snarl and he got up a little shakily before stomping out into the hall, Jesus trying to stop him. "Daryl- What-" Daryl looked around the hall and spotted the dark-haired alpha, stalking towards him. He knelt down and grabbed the unconscious male by the front of his clothes and shook him violently. 

"Wake up asshole!" He growled loudly. He shook him some more but the man already had what Jesus assumed was at least a very violent concussion. After several more attempts to revive the male Daryl stood. 

"FUCK!" He screamed, grabbing at his own hair and gritting his teeth. After a moment he lifted his foot and just started stomping on his face, smashing in his nose into his skull, and proceeded to do that for a few minutes, every once and a while letting out a loud curse before kicking the doctor in the head so violently Jesus was sure he was dead now. He watched with furrowed brows until Daryl collapsed against the wall, drawing up his knees and putting his head in his hands. The scout came forward and knelt beside him, gently stroking his hair. 

"It's alright, baby... shh..." The scout murmured softly. Daryl immediately grabbed onto him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and sobbing. He just held his mate until his shaking subsided and Daryl pulled away, sniffing a little and wiping at his eyes. "Are you alright?" Jesus asked. Daryl swallowed before giving a small nod, head drooping. "We should... we should get out of here." Daryl nodded and Jesus stood. Daryl worked to stand and collapsed, legs too weak to stand. Jesus figured the stomping was a result of the adrenaline and he helped his hunter stand, holding him up. 

"They're gonna... keep doin' this..." Daryl muttered. That was when they heard a shot. Jesus looked behind him for a moment to see Rick had shot one of the unconscious people in lab coats and just turned back around, pretending like he didn't see anything as Rick proceeded to the next one. 

He and Daryl walked out of the facility as more shots rang out, Harlan following. They passed several rooms where some people were in, hiding, and ignored them. They weren't infected and Jesus was pretty sure they weren't interested in this mess. 

Rick came out the front door after a little bit and hurried to catch up with them as they started to enter back into the woods in the direction of the car, his dark deed done. 

-

An hour later Daryl's head was resting against Jesus's shoulder as he slept, Rick driving. Jesus was trying not to think too hard about the doctors and his indifference to their deaths. His inner alpha was satisfied to be back in the presence of his mate and it seemed his mood was mostly back to normal because of that. No more hormonal Jesus for now. 

Daryl woke just as they arrived home and Jesus helped him out of the car. Daryl was quiet and blank-faced, head down, letting the alpha walk him to their house. Rick trailed after them, intent to make sure Daryl was fine before he left them. 

Jesus got Daryl into the guest bedroom on the first floor and the male dropped onto it, curling up on his side away from the door. Jesus looked back at Rick. 

"I think he's fine. I have the thermometer incase his fever gets worse. I got this." Jesus reassured the intimidating man. Rick was looking at him like he didn't believe him. 

"Just... be good to him." Rick said. Jesus smiled at him, hoping it was understandable as his most sincere promise. 

"I always will."

-

Daryl's fever went down after only a few more hours and his temperature returned to normal over night. He woke several times but calmed down immediately upon feeling his mate at his back, holding him close. The next day he woke around noon and it seemed his mate had not left his side the whole time, resting peacefully against him. He was relieved to realize the heat had passed and he looked at his alpha's sleeping face, feeling safe. Daryl moved to face him and nuzzled his face into his neck, taking in his scent. His mate had come for him. His mate wanted him. He hadn't been left alone to rot and be tested on. His mate... loved him. 

Jesus slowly woke up, batting long eyelashes as he blinked away his sleepiness to smile when he saw Daryl looking at him. Daryl blushed a little. 

"I'm glad you're awake..." his mate said, looking gorgeous in the light shining through the window. Daryl furrowed his brows and swallowed, looking at the alpha shyly. 

"I... I love you too..." He said in response to their conversation that day before Daryl left. Jesus's eyes lit up at the words and he wasn't sorry he said it.


End file.
